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National Sorghum Producers Tim Lust, CEO. Helping Meet RFS Goals. Sorghum to Ethanol. Grain Sorghum. 6.2 . U.S. Sorghum Production. 2013 planting intentions. 7.62 million acres projected in 2013 Up 22 percent from last year Kansas and Texas lead with 77 percent of expected acreage
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National Sorghum ProducersTim Lust, CEO Helping Meet RFS Goals
6.2 U.S. Sorghum Production
2013 planting intentions • 7.62 million acres projected in 2013 • Up 22 percent from last year • Kansas and Texas lead with 77 percent of expected acreage • Acres expanding to different regions • North Carolina • Missouri • South Dakota
Other economic drivers • Growers balance: • Market demand • Costs of production • Land • Water • Fuel • Risk
What Does the Advanced Playing Field Look Like? • Grain sorghum approved as a conventional feedstock. Alone it does not qualify as advanced with 32% GHG reduction score. • If traditional ethanol plants make “green” improvements, they can qualify if 50% reduction threshold met. • Plants looking to make changes to meet goal. • Western Plains (NW KS) installing large anaerobic digester. Will be producing 50 million advanced gallons per year soon. • CA plant likely next
How could plants qualify? • AnererobicDigestor $25-$30 million • Biogas $5 million + $11 gas • Up to 200 million gallons • CO2capture • Biomass • Up to 300 million gallons
What Does the Advanced Playing Field Look Like? • Main question: What level of advanced biofuels will be required for 2013? • Second question: What level of advanced biofuels will be required for 2014?
What does the advanced playing field look like? • The imports of Brazilian “advanced” gallons in 2012 had huge negative impact on the entire U.S. ethanol industry. • There is strong support for “domestic” gallons of advanced biofuels. • RIN values will change - currently about ??
SWEET SORGHUM • Yield – 31.64 Tons/Acre Wet – Top yield 77 Tons • 15 gals/Ton • 475 gallons/acre up to 800 gallons acre • GHG score – very high • Southeast Renewables –FL • 20 million gallon – January 2015
What are you going to do with the bagasse? • Burn it! Co-Gen – Under EPA models, U.S. processor will get huge credit because US electricity has about 25% more GHG emissions than Brazil electricity – overall GHG reduction could be as high as 90%. • Feed It! Cattle love it. EPA has not decided yet. • Make Cellulosic Ethanol out of it! The recent patents by Sweetwater regarding the ability to take bagasse/any other feedstock and convert to cellulosic as a part of a traditional ethanol plant process.
BIOMASS SORGHUM • Yield – 12.83 Tons/Acre Dry up to 20 Tons • 92.3 gals/Ton • 1184 gallons/acre or more • Cellulosic Feedstock • Grows in 90-110 days
What has not been done? • Sweet sorghum petition finalized/submitted to EPA. • Biomass (energy) sorghum petition (911 pages) was submitted in August as a cellulosic feedstock but has not been approved by EPA. • NSP’s experience is private industry involvement with EPA helps prioritize petitions. • EPA wants to see it is a viable crop and there is commercial production in place to generate gallons.
