Gulf Ethanol “switches” to sorghum, switchgrass from food-based feedstocks, in food vs fuel publicity effort

In Texas, Gulf Ethanol announced that it will discontinue use of food-based feedstocks, and will switch to sorghum and switchgrass. “We won’t burn your food,” President J.T. Cloud said. “The answer to rising fuel prices is not to run away from alternative energy production. It is to move rapidly toward the use of non-food feedstocks that are abundant and cheap.”

The announcement appears to be less a change in stratgey than an attempt to cash in on food-vs-fuel concerns. Gulf Ethanol Corporation had engaged Grubb & Ellis late last summer to find additional ethanol production sites in the southeast section of the state, and the company had targeted sweet sorghum at the time as a feedstock.

Previous to last summer, Gulf Ethanol has expressed interest in the cellulosic ethanol market, and was also pursuing sorghum related opportunities in Uruguay.

Free Subscription to the Daily Biofuels Digest e-newsletter

Related Stories

Australian project tests sorghum as sugar cane rotation crop in Queensland for ethanol potential

In Australia, a sorghum-based ethanol plant is in planning in the Wide Bay region of Queensland. AgriFuels, which is testing sorghum production in the area, said that an ethanol plant would use would ...

Gulf Ethanol engages Grubb & Ellis to find Texas ethanol plant sites

Gulf Ethanol Corporation has engaged Grubb & Ellis to find additional ethanol production sites in the southeast section of the state. Output from the facilities would be used to satisfy what Gulf Etha...

Ceres now harvesting switchgrass and sorghum seeds for marketing under Blade Bioenergy Crops brand

In California, Ceres announced that it has commenced its first harvests of switchgrass and sorghum seeds and expects to harvest 10 tons of switchgrass seed per acre, according to a Greentech report. T...

EdeniQ to commence multi-year trial of energy crops in California’s Central Valley

In California, EdeniQ said that it has commenced a multi-year, field-to-fuel trial to evaluate low-carbon, non-food energy crops, like switchgrass, in the Central Valley. The company commenced a pilot...

Ceres to have exclusive access to Texas A&M sorghum hybrids

In Texas, Texas A&M University and Ceres have signed an agreement to develop new cane sorghum hybrids to enhance cellulosic ethanol productivity. Under the agreement, Ceres will have the rights for tw...

Gulf Alternative Energy’s dry powder for ethanol improves processing time 400 percent, says lab

In Texas, Gulf Alternative Energy announced lab test results from Microbac Laboratories for its biomass pre-processing technology that converts cellulosic biomass into a fine, dry powder for processin...