Pretreatment Methods for Biofuel Production from Sorghum

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) biomass pretreatment methods to produce biofuels. Sorghum is an important food, feed, and fuel crop that serves multiple purposes of human food, pet food, animal feed, and feedstock for bioenergy production. There are enormous opportunities to produce different types of biofuels from sorghum-based biomass. First, composition, structure, and uses of different sorghum plant parts (stalks, leaves, grain, starch, and oil) are briefly described. Then, we present and discuss in detail different pretreatment methods (physical, chemical, physicochemical, and biological) that enable the utilization of sorghum biomass for biofuel production. There have been significant improvements in different pretreatment methods and their efficiencies for biofuel production. The best methods will depend on the availability of facilities and resources. Further investigations should be directed towards developing simpler, more effective and energy-saving technologies for biofuel production from sorghum-based feedstock. Since most of the sorghum pretreatment processes generate inhibitors of microbial growth and reduce product yield, the need for a detoxification stage is emphasized. Future research should focus towards developing the appropriate pretreatment strategies and overall process integration for improved processing of biomass and final biofuel production. A smart combination of two or more pretreatment methods for efficient biomass processing, selective recovery, and reduced inhibitor formation should be researched. A strong collaboration, partnership, and support from industry, private sector, and public sector will be required for successful implementation and establishment of large-scale biofuel production plants from different bioenergy feedstocks.