Aug 17, 2010
Manioc Root and Sweet Potatoes Promoted as Ethanol Producers
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
University researchers in Brazil have been looking for alternative sources for feedstock to supply the raw material for the ever expanding ethanol industry in Brazil. Currently, sugarcane reigns supreme as virtually the only source of feedstock for the industry, but researchers feel other crops might be a better options depending on the environment where it is grown.
Sugarcane was never intended to be the sole source of ethanol production in Brazil. In fact, when Brazil embarked on its current program of ethanol production in the 1970's, the Brazilian government said specifically that the feedstock for ethanol production could be either sugarcane or manioc root.
Since at the time, the sugarcane producers in Brazil had a strong commodity organization, sugarcane took over as the primary feedstock for ethanol production and has remained so ever since. Scientists feel that manioc root or sweet potatoes could be viable alternatives to sugarcane. Manioc root is in fact nearly as good as sugarcane when it comes to the amount of ethanol produced per hectare, but the production and processing technology never evolved like it did for sugarcane. Brazilian scientists though are trying to change that.
Researchers at the State University of Sao Paulo compared sugarcane, manioc root, and corn as feedstock alternatives for ethanol production and concluded that in terms of cubic meters of ethanol produced per year, sugarcane produced the most at 7.2 cubic meters per year followed by manioc root at 6.2 and lastly corn at 2.7.
Even though manioc root may not be as productive as sugarcane when it comes to ethanol production, it has many other advantages. Its primary advantage is that it can be grown by small family farmers in infertile soil and with a minimum of inputs required. It is also very drought tolerant making it a good choice for the arid northeastern region of Brazil. Manioc root has a short production cycle and a wide genetic variability, which facilitates the development of new and more productive cultivars. Sugarcane on the other hand, can only be grown economically under large scale mechanized agriculture. Sugarcane also requires a high level of inputs and ample water supplies.
Sweet potato is also being mentioned as another alternative to sugarcane. Sweet potatoes can be grown anywhere in Brazil and scientists in central and northern Brazil are developing production and processing technology to facilitate the use of sweet potatoes to produce ethanol. The Brazilian government is trying to integrate small family farmers into its biofuel program and sweet potatoes are another crop that could meet that goal.