Ethanol production from two varieties of henequen (Agave fourcroydes Lem)

Abstract

This work demonstrates the significant differences in ethanol production of two henequen (Agave fourcroydes Lem) varieties. Yaax ki, or green henequen, surpasses Sac ki, or white henequen, in weight, sugar accumulation capability and ethanol production. The study was carried out with the 'piñ a' (stem and basal part of the leaves that remain attached to it after harvesting the leaves) of 5-and 9-year-old plants, cultivated in two localities of Yucatán, México. At 5 years of age, Yaax ki piñ as are 33% larger than those of Sac ki, and at 9 years this difference can increase to 59%. Juice from 5-year-old piñ as of Yaax ki contains 15.6% more reducing sugars, whereas in the must it can exceed 67%. Values obtained in the 9-year-old plants indicate that the Yaax ki variety accumulates 30.6% more reducing sugars than the Sac ki, whereas in the must the difference is in favor of Yaax ki is 21.7%. To produce 1 L of ethanol at 40% concentration by volume from 5-year-old plants, 48 kg of Sac ki piñ as and 29 kg of Yaax ki are required, whereas with the 9-year-old plants, only 23 and 19 kg are needed, respectively.

Biomass characterization of Agave and Opuntia as potential biofuel feedstocks

“…CAM plants are typically highly tolerant of high temperatures, UV-B radiation, and drought conditions by virtue of their ability to rapidly take up and store water in aboveground succulent tissues, while tolerating large losses in water mass fraction [8,9]. The high water-use efficiency of CAM species, typically 3-to 10-fold higher than that of C 3 or C 4 species, results in crop water demands that average only 16%e28% of those of C 3 and C 4 crops, respectively, while maintaining comparable above-ground biomass productivities [8,10].…”

A system dynamics model integrating physiology and biochemical regulation predicts extent of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) phases

“…Plants that exhibit crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) continue to engender scientific interest, most recently as a feedstock for bioenergy production from highly succulent species such as those in the genera Agave and Opuntia (Davis et al, 2011;Mart ınez-Torres et al, 2011;N uñez et al, 2011;Owen & Griffiths, 2013). For a few, the scientific challenges lie in investigating a pathway that operates by day and night, and which provides intriguing questions for the integration of molecular, metabolic, physiological and ecological processes (L€ uttge, 2002;Taybi et al, 2002;Borland & Taybi, 2004;Hartwell, 2005;Griffiths et al, 2007;.…”

Agave as a model CAM crop system for a warming and drying world

“… a Lappe-Oliveras et al, 2008 ; b Escamilla-Trevino, 2012 ; c Garcia-Moya et al, 2011 ; d Núñez et al, 2011 ; e Santos-Zea et al, 2012 ; f Rivera et al, 2010 ; g Ortiz-Basurto et al, 2008 ; h Willems and Low, 2012 ; i Garcia-Pedraza et al, 2009 ; j Davis et al, 2011 ; k Cedeño Cruz, 2003 ; l Montanez Soto et al, 2011 ; m Owen and Griffiths, 2014 ; n Zizumbo-Villarreal and Colunga-GarcíaMarín, 2008 ; o Colunga-GarcíaMarín, 2003 ; p Nobel, 1985 ; q Rendon-Salcido et al, 2009 ; r Martinez-Torres et al, 2011 ; s Davis and Long, 2015 ; t Gonzalez-Murillo and Ansell, 2009 ; u May-Pat et al, 2013 ; v García de Fuentes and Morales, 2000 ; w Bautista Lopez and Martinez Cruz, 2012 ; x Pando-Moreno et al, 2008 ; y Velasquez-Martinez et al, 2011 ...…”