Houston, Texas
August 19, 2008
Sorghum is getting a close look as
a major biofuel feedstock for producing alternative fuels at an
international conference this week in Houston.
More than 100 international experts from government, academia,
the private sector and the agricultural community are attending
the International Conference on Sorghum for Biofuels at the Omni
Houston Hotel.
“Whether it’s for grain, sugar or high tonnage source of
lignocellulose, most of you in attendance at this conference are
committed to making sorghum the preferred dedicated feedstock
for production of ethanol and other liquid fuels,” said Dr. Mark
Hussey, interim vice chancellor for agriculture and life
sciences at Texas A&M University and director of
Texas AgriLife
Research.
Co-sponsors of the event include Texas A&M University, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Research, Education and Economics
mission area and the National Sorghum Producers. Other
conference co-sponsors include Brazil's Empresa Brasileira de
Pesquisa Agropecuária, the International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, and Tsinghua University, in
the Peoples' Republic of China.
With the high cost of gasoline causing economic hardship,
developing alternative fuels is a critical issue, according to
experts.
“I think we are on the brink of one of the greatest challenges
in history,” said Dr. Gale Buchanan, U.S. Department of
Agriculture undersecretary for research, education and
economics. “It’s going to take everybody working together.”
Sorghum is a viable solution as work continues to develop a
cleaner, more secure source of energy, Buchanan said.
Discussions at the conference Tuesday led representatives of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Science and
Technology of the People’s Republic of China to sign a
collaborative agreement for biofuels research.
“We have an existing cooperation between the USDA and the
Chinese Ministry for Science and Technology,” said Eileen
Herrera, acting deputy director for the Office of International
Research Programs at USDA’s Agriculture Research Service. “We
cooperate on several initiatives. Signing this protocol
represents formal cooperation in the area of biofuels research.”
The agreement establishes the intent to “cooperate in
establishing processes and infrastructure for conversion of
sweet sorghum and other feedstocks to ethanol.” It also
encourages collaboration among scientists worldwide to
contribute to alternative energy research through the
development of alternative feedstocks.
“Today’s signing establishes a virtual joint center for a series
of projects that are very specific to the two centers,” said
Michael Abbey, international affairs specialist and Asia program
coordinator for USDA-Agriculture Research Service. “We also
intend to include universities and business in both China and
the United States. We can now focus on specific areas of
cooperation.”
USDA houses an extensive sorghum germplasm library, and Buchanan
told attendees the agency is looking forward to starting an
exchange with any rncountry “and look at ways to stimulate
partnerships.”
“This is a milestone for the sorghum industry and for our
members as the world turns its attention to sorghum,” said Tim
Lust, chief executive officer of the National Sorghum Producers.
“Sorghum’s water sipping qualities, short growing season and
ability to grow on 80 percent of the world’s land, including
some marginal agricultural areas, really lends it to biofuels
production as the U.S. and the world face pressing issues with
energy independence and economic difficulties.”
Workshop attendees learned more about key scientific advances,
economics and sustainable production and utilization of sorghum
as a bioenergy crop. Participants will visit Texas A&M in
College Station this week, learning more about ongoing research
involving bioenergy feedstock and development led by AgriLife
Research scientists.
Site visits also will be available to Jennings, La., where
Verenium Corporation is constructing a
1.4-million-gallon-per-year demonstration cellulosic ethanol
facility, the first of its kind in the United States.
For blog updates from the conference, visit
http://agrilifeblogs.tamu.edu/mt/Agnews/.
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Potencial do sorgo para a
geração de energia é tema de conferência nos Estados
Unidos |
A Embrapa (Empresa
Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária) é uma das
instituições que participam da International
Conference on Sorghum for Biofuel, evento que
acontece em Houston, Texas, de 19 a 22 de agosto. A
conferência tem o objetivo de avaliar o potencial do
sorgo como biocombustível, identificando os avanços
científicos, desafios e propondo estratégias para
superá-los. A conferência pretende ainda identificar
as oportunidades científicas para que o sorgo se
torne uma das principais matérias-primas para a
produção de energias renováveis.
Entre os temas que compõem a programação, estão o
potencial do sorgo na produção de biomassa e sua
viabilidade econômica, impactos ambientais e
questões agronômicas, como cultivares disponíveis
para a produção de combustíveis, genômica e os
últimos resultados e avanços científicos em
biotecnologia para a produção de energia a partir do
cereal. Após a conferência, serão definidas
estratégias internacionais para o delineamento de
pesquisas para a geração de biocombustível a partir
do sorgo.
A Embrapa Milho e Sorgo (Sete Lagoas-MG) desenvolve
pesquisas com o sorgo sacarino - que possui alta
aptidão para a geração de energia - desde a década
de 1980, período no qual foram lançados os híbridos
BR 601 e BR 602. No final dos anos 90, foi lançada a
variedade BR 506, também com potencial para a
produção de energia. Da Unidade, participam da
conferência internacional a chefe-geral, Vera Maria
Carvalho Alves, e os pesquisadores Jurandir Vieira
Magalhães e Robert Eugene Schaffert.
Conheça os realizadores do evento: USDA
(Departamento de Agricultura dos Estados Unidos),
Texas A&M University, National Sorghum Producers,
Icrisat (International Crops Research Institute for
the Semi-Arid Tropics), Embrapa, Tsinghua
University, Ceres - The Energy Crop Company e
Verenium - The Nature of Energy. Saiba mais em
http://www.ars.usda.gov/meetings/Sorghum/index.htm .
Mais informações: Área de Comunicação Empresarial
(ACE) da Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, Unidade da Empresa
Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, vinculada ao
Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento:
gfviana@cnpms.embrapa.br ou (31) 3027-1223. |
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