Alcohol: an alternate energy resource for community use. Final performance report. [Small-scale - 250 gal per year]
The original purpose of the grant was to construct an alcohol producing facility for community use thereby demonstrating that small land owners could, through their initiative, produce fuel from a vegetable grown on small plots of land. The rationale for the program was predicated on increasing fuel costs, decreasing fuel supplies, and on information supplied by Tuskegee Institute about a high dry matter sweet potato (Rojo Blanco, reportedly 42% dry matter and an average yield of 750 bushels/acre) which theoretically would produce at least 1.42 gallons of ethyl alcohol/bushel. Two approaches were undertaken: the production of sweet potatoes and the production of alcohol. In the first year, Rojo Blanco did yield 700 bushels/acre, but in subsequent years, due to drought and inadequate knowledge of proper fertilizer and moisture regimes, that yield was never reached. In alcohol production, a long period of time with laboratory stills was devoted to testing sweet potato varieties to determine the alcohol/bushel ratios. The hypothetical 1.4 gallons/bushel was never attained - because the dry matter never approached 42%. In spite of the low alcohol per bushel results, a 250 gallon batch still was built (cost of over $3000). With cost of fuel for the digester and for the fermentation coupled with the market value of sweet potatoes, we determined that community operated stills using home-grown vegetable sources for alcohol production is not economically feasible at this time.
- Research Organization:
- Horticultural Specialities, Inc., Athens, GA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG44-80R410350
- OSTI ID:
- 6124104
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/R4/10350-T1; ON: DE85007731
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
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ALCOHOLS
BIOCONVERSION
COMMUNITIES
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
ECONOMICS
EQUIPMENT
ETHANOL
ETHANOL PLANTS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FERMENTATION
FOOD
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTIVITY
VEGETABLES
YAMS