Sorghum as a viable alternative in ethanol production

By Juliano Andrade, Alcides Ita and Arquimedes Oliveira (Corteva Agriscience)

27.09.2024 | 10:02 (UTC -3)

Historically, sorghum has been considered secondary in Brazilian agriculture, positioned mainly in conditions of closing the planting window in the second harvest or in soils with little fertility and low investment. However, due to several factors, such as climate changes experienced in recent years and the search for greater production stability, sorghum has been growing in importance in Brazil, in the second harvest scenario. According to the National Supply Company (Conab), the area planted with the grain has increased by 40% in the last three years - today, it is at 1,46 million hectares - and the volume produced in the 2023/24 harvest is estimated at 4,42 million tons. If before, only a few states, such as Goiás and Minas Gerais, had some relevance in this production, currently Mato Grosso, Bahia and Piauí, have also been expanding investments in the crop at great speed.

One factor that brings good prospects for sorghum is the growing investment by biofuel industries, especially ethanol industries, which are expanding and building new plants that can be multi-grain, and can use other grains such as sorghum, wheat and millet in addition to corn. To give you an idea, one of the largest ethanol industries in the country announced that with the inauguration of its new plants in 2024 and 2025 it will have the potential to crush 2 million tons of sorghum per year – 40% of national production. The installation of these new industries in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins, Maranhão and Bahia could make sorghum one of the crops with the greatest growth potential, being another profitable option for the second harvest.

Corteva Agriscience, a leader in the sorghum seed market in Brazil (Kynetec, 2023), has initiated a study in partnership with companies in the ethanol sector to evaluate the ethanol yield potential of its corn-sorghum hybrids. The initial results of this survey showed that the ethanol production potential of grain sorghum is similar to that of corn, being a direct function of the starch percentage. Therefore, knowing the characteristics of the hybrids and the management techniques to obtain high starch contents are essential to make the use of sorghum viable.

Comparing sorghum hybrids with corn hybrids, especially in the conditions at the end of the second crop planting window, the results showed that sorghum can present starch contents and ethanol yields even higher than corn, evidencing the greater safety of sorghum in the most challenging planting windows, without direct competition with corn.

corn, which has better conditions for exploring potential in the opening and middle of the second crop. In this survey, sorghum obtained 429,5 liters per ton of grain (l/ton), while corn registered 424,5 l/ton. In the percentage of starch per raw material, the values ​​were 70,2% for sorghum and 69,33% for corn.

Hybrid characteristics such as grain size, depth and weight, in addition to the level of investment applied, influence the starch content, and the greater the contribution to the crop, the better the competitiveness in ethanol production. For sorghum to be viable, starch percentages must be above 70%, at the same levels as corn. Another survey by the company is in relation to the use of Pioneer hybrids in this production, in comparison with competitors. In corn, two Pioneer hybrids (P3845VYHR/P40537WU) recorded more than 75% starch, five percentage points above the average of the other products compared, which represents an increase of 39,5 l/ethanol x ton/grain. In the case of the brand's sorghum portfolio, a higher number was observed, both in terms of starch and ethanol yield, on average 2,3% above the average of competitors, ensuring greater competitiveness for the producer and the industry.

Brazil is currently the world leader in ethanol production, with 35,4 billion liters produced in 2024, according to a survey by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. This scenario shows that, with the adoption of alternatives, such as sorghum, which is currently productively and economically viable, Brazil can further increase its leading role in the sector, in a profitable and sustainable way.

By Juliano Andrade, Alcides Ita e Archimedes Oliveira (Corteva Agriscience)

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