Sweet fuel: Ethanol of sorghum gets a try

Arkansas Democrat Gazette
BY RENEE SCHOOF
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008


WASHINGTON — American pioneers used sweet sorghum as a substitute for sugar to make syrup. The syrup is still available today, mostly made in Kentucky and Tennessee, but for decades most American sweet sorghum has been used for livestock feed.

Today, some researchers are looking at using it to make ethanol to blend with gasoline and help
reduce the country’s dependence on oil.

The timing may be right for sweet sorghum. The United States is reaching its limits on using corn for ethanol, and global concerns are rising about using grains to make fuel while food prices soar. At the same time, researchers are looking for ways to make biofuels that would do more to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Sweet sorghum gets good marks on all counts.

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