An evaluation of cassava, sweet potato and field corn as potential carbohydrate sources for bioethanol production in Alabama and Maryland

Bio-Ethanol Production from Non-Food Parts of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

“…This has a bearing on the final yield of reducing sugars, since high contents of dry matter are desirable in ethanol production (Ziska et al 2009). The variations in protein content between the different plant parts of the present study, leaves showing high levels of protein compared to other parts of the plants, were notable since a significant relationship between ethanol properties and total protein content in different feedstocks existed.…”

“…High protein content resulted in production of lower quantities of ethanol and vice versa, suggesting that cassava, compared to highly proteinaceous cereal feedstocks (Wang et al 2008), holds a potential of becoming an important feedstock for producing high quality ethanol, since it has low levels of micronutrients even in its roots (Nuwamanya et al 2010). Compared to the composition of other important ethanol feedstocks like corn (Marshall and Sugg 2009;Agbogbo and Wenger 2007) and sugar cane (Hayes 1982), the cassava plant is favorable for production of ethanol of right quality and quantity (Ziska et al 2009). The low amount of reducing sugars obtained from roots during the initial hours of hydrolysis may be attributed to the preparation procedure since they were not crushed but chopped, further confirming the importance of the preparative steps for hydrolysis of the different feedstocks (Ziska et al 2009;Mosier et al 2005).…”

“…Compared to the composition of other important ethanol feedstocks like corn (Marshall and Sugg 2009;Agbogbo and Wenger 2007) and sugar cane (Hayes 1982), the cassava plant is favorable for production of ethanol of right quality and quantity (Ziska et al 2009). The low amount of reducing sugars obtained from roots during the initial hours of hydrolysis may be attributed to the preparation procedure since they were not crushed but chopped, further confirming the importance of the preparative steps for hydrolysis of the different feedstocks (Ziska et al 2009;Mosier et al 2005). Obtaining high initial levels of reducing sugars in peels and stems compared to roots, along with the stringent preparative procedures required, illustrates the difficulty of using cellulosic feedstocks for ethanol production.…”

“…It has been established that production of bio-ethanol and other domestic forms of energy is economically viable and feasible with available technologies (Londo et al 2010;Tillman et al 2009). Crops grown for energy production purposes may be sugar cane (Hall et al 2009), cassava, corn, and sweet potato (Ziska et al 2009) as well as other high sugar and high biomass producing crops and nontraditional food or cash crops. In addition, municipal and agricultural wastes may be used for energy production (Rist et al 2009).…”

“…However, the choice of feedstock is based on availability, competition between food and non-food products, and cost (Londo et al 2010), thus making the search for an optimal feedstock of uttermost importance. The high productivity and yield of cassava (Ziska et al 2009), along with its ability to grow on marginal soils (Dixon et al 2002), requiring a minimum of labor (Chiwona-Karltun et al 1998) and management costs (Jannson et al 2009), have placed it among the candidates for bio-ethanol production.…”