Sugarcorn

Sugarcorn is a hybrid crop of traditional corn, or maize, with sugarcane. Sugarcorn grows up to 14 feet tall, has no ears and whose stalks contain mostly sucrose.

Unlike traditional corn, the entire biomass can be used to create energy. The sugars in the stalk can be refined into ethanol (and potentially gasoline) while the remaining biomass can be burned to generate power (either replacing a draw from the grid or by feeding new power to it). 

Sugarcorn & Renewable Energy

• Stalks contain mostly sucrose

• Sugars in the stalk can be refined into ethanol (and potentially gasoline) while remaining biomass can be burned to generate power

• Fuel-specific, does not compete for land use with food crops
• Carbon-negative feedstock

Production
The crop is in the final year of test plots

Attributes

• Entire biomass can be used to create energyow inputs –fertilizer, pesticides, water
• Reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by 60 percent

• Can be planted alongside traditional corn, harvested using existing machinery and refined into ethanol using existing equipment.