Khon Kaen pioneers sorghum ethanol

Khon Kaen University in Thailand plans to develop sweet sorghum as a new material for ethanol if it can get government financial support, says Krairit Nilkuha, director-general of the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency. “We are considering providing project finance of about 100 million baht (US$3.05 million) accordingly to the researchers’ requirements to bring this pilot project to a commercial scale,” said Krairit. “Sweet sorghum would be the new option for the ethanol producer. Since farm products are seasonal, which we cannot control, we need different crops in different seasons to ensure we have raw materials all through the year,” said Krairit. (January 14, 2010)