Feasibility of Growing Sweet Sorghum For the On-farm Production Of Ethanol in Oklahoma

Abstract

Technology that would enable use of sweet sorghum for an ethanol feedstock is under development. The demand for ethanol is increasing to reduce the dependence on foreign oil. This study was conducted to determine the cost to grow, harvest, press, ferment, distill, store, and transport ethanol produced on the farm from sweet sorghum in Oklahoma. It uses a feasibility budget to determine these costs. This study also determines how policies that restrict production and processing influence costs. Results from the first simulation reveal that increasing the acres of sweet sorghum for ethanol will produce a higher Net Present Value. Results from the second simulation conclude that decreasing the value of the byproduct silage bagasse has a major negative impact on the feasibility of the process. The results from the third simulation show that using a municipal wastewater system to dispose of water produces a slightly higher Net Present Value then using an irrigation system to dispose of the water. Results from the final simulation show that increases to the sugar content of the sweet sorghum have a significant positive impact on the Net Present Value. It was also found that there are many aspects of the overall process of producing sweet sorghum for the on-farm production of ethanol that need to be researched further.