Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Fallow Crop in Sugarcane Farming for Biomethane Production in Queensland, Australia
Biogas from lignocellulosic feedstock is a promising energy source for decentralized renewable electricity, heat, and/or vehicle fuel generation. However, the selection of a suitable energy crop should be based on several factors such as biomass yields and characteristics or biogas yields and econom...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-09-01
|
| Series: | Energies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6497 |
| _version_ | 1827726382633844736 |
|---|---|
| author | Divya Joslin Mathias Thiago Edwiges Napong Ketsub Rajinder Singh Prasad Kaparaju |
| author_facet | Divya Joslin Mathias Thiago Edwiges Napong Ketsub Rajinder Singh Prasad Kaparaju |
| author_sort | Divya Joslin Mathias |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biogas from lignocellulosic feedstock is a promising energy source for decentralized renewable electricity, heat, and/or vehicle fuel generation. However, the selection of a suitable energy crop should be based on several factors such as biomass yields and characteristics or biogas yields and economic returns if used in biorefineries. Furthermore, the food-to-fuel conflict for the use of a specific energy crop must be mitigated through smart cropping techniques. In this study, the potential use of sweet sorghum as an energy crop grown during the fallow periods of sugarcane cultivation was evaluated. Nine sweet sorghum cultivars were grown on sandy loam soil during September 2020 in North Queensland, Australia. The overall results showed that the crop maturity had a profound influence on chemical composition and biomass yields. Further, the total insoluble and soluble sugar yields varied among the tested cultivars and were dependent on plant height and chemical composition. The biomass yields ranged from 46.9 to 82.3 tonnes/hectare (t/ha) in terms of the wet weight (<i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) of the tested cultivars, with the SE-81 cultivar registering the highest biomass yield per hectare. The gross energy production was determined based on the chemical composition and methane yields. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) studies in batch experiments at 37 °C showed that methane yields of 175 to 227.91 NmL CH<sub>4</sub>/gVS<sub>added</sub> were obtained from the tested cultivars. The maximum methane yield of 227.91 NmL CH<sub>4</sub>/gVS<sub>added</sub> was obtained for cultivar SE-35. However, SE-81 produced the highest methane yields on a per hectare basis (3059.18 Nm<sup>3</sup> CH<sub>4</sub>/ha). This is equivalent to a gross energy value of 761.74 MWh/year or compressed biomethane (BioCNG) as a vehicle fuel sufficient for 95 passenger cars travelling at 10,000 km per annum. Overall, this study demonstrated that sweet sorghum is a potential energy crop for biogas production that could be cultivated during the fallow period of sugarcane cultivation in Queensland. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:50:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b848c44d1b6410baac0eab37d894c21 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:50:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b848c44d1b6410baac0eab37d894c212023-11-19T10:26:00ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732023-09-011618649710.3390/en16186497Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Fallow Crop in Sugarcane Farming for Biomethane Production in Queensland, AustraliaDivya Joslin Mathias0Thiago Edwiges1Napong Ketsub2Rajinder Singh3Prasad Kaparaju4School of Engineering and Built Environment, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, AustraliaSchool of Engineering and Built Environment, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, AustraliaCentre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4111, AustraliaSingh Farming Limited, Cairns, QLD 4865, AustraliaSchool of Engineering and Built Environment, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, AustraliaBiogas from lignocellulosic feedstock is a promising energy source for decentralized renewable electricity, heat, and/or vehicle fuel generation. However, the selection of a suitable energy crop should be based on several factors such as biomass yields and characteristics or biogas yields and economic returns if used in biorefineries. Furthermore, the food-to-fuel conflict for the use of a specific energy crop must be mitigated through smart cropping techniques. In this study, the potential use of sweet sorghum as an energy crop grown during the fallow periods of sugarcane cultivation was evaluated. Nine sweet sorghum cultivars were grown on sandy loam soil during September 2020 in North Queensland, Australia. The overall results showed that the crop maturity had a profound influence on chemical composition and biomass yields. Further, the total insoluble and soluble sugar yields varied among the tested cultivars and were dependent on plant height and chemical composition. The biomass yields ranged from 46.9 to 82.3 tonnes/hectare (t/ha) in terms of the wet weight (<i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) of the tested cultivars, with the SE-81 cultivar registering the highest biomass yield per hectare. The gross energy production was determined based on the chemical composition and methane yields. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) studies in batch experiments at 37 °C showed that methane yields of 175 to 227.91 NmL CH<sub>4</sub>/gVS<sub>added</sub> were obtained from the tested cultivars. The maximum methane yield of 227.91 NmL CH<sub>4</sub>/gVS<sub>added</sub> was obtained for cultivar SE-35. However, SE-81 produced the highest methane yields on a per hectare basis (3059.18 Nm<sup>3</sup> CH<sub>4</sub>/ha). This is equivalent to a gross energy value of 761.74 MWh/year or compressed biomethane (BioCNG) as a vehicle fuel sufficient for 95 passenger cars travelling at 10,000 km per annum. Overall, this study demonstrated that sweet sorghum is a potential energy crop for biogas production that could be cultivated during the fallow period of sugarcane cultivation in Queensland.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6497sweet sorghumanaerobic digestionenergy productionkinetic modellingbiomethane |
| spellingShingle | Divya Joslin Mathias Thiago Edwiges Napong Ketsub Rajinder Singh Prasad Kaparaju Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Fallow Crop in Sugarcane Farming for Biomethane Production in Queensland, Australia Energies sweet sorghum anaerobic digestion energy production kinetic modelling biomethane |
| title | Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Fallow Crop in Sugarcane Farming for Biomethane Production in Queensland, Australia |
| title_full | Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Fallow Crop in Sugarcane Farming for Biomethane Production in Queensland, Australia |
| title_fullStr | Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Fallow Crop in Sugarcane Farming for Biomethane Production in Queensland, Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Fallow Crop in Sugarcane Farming for Biomethane Production in Queensland, Australia |
| title_short | Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Fallow Crop in Sugarcane Farming for Biomethane Production in Queensland, Australia |
| title_sort | sweet sorghum as a potential fallow crop in sugarcane farming for biomethane production in queensland australia |
| topic | sweet sorghum anaerobic digestion energy production kinetic modelling biomethane |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/18/6497 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT divyajoslinmathias sweetsorghumasapotentialfallowcropinsugarcanefarmingforbiomethaneproductioninqueenslandaustralia AT thiagoedwiges sweetsorghumasapotentialfallowcropinsugarcanefarmingforbiomethaneproductioninqueenslandaustralia AT napongketsub sweetsorghumasapotentialfallowcropinsugarcanefarmingforbiomethaneproductioninqueenslandaustralia AT rajindersingh sweetsorghumasapotentialfallowcropinsugarcanefarmingforbiomethaneproductioninqueenslandaustralia AT prasadkaparaju sweetsorghumasapotentialfallowcropinsugarcanefarmingforbiomethaneproductioninqueenslandaustralia |