--- Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >Looking into what I have on file about alcohol > crops, I find the > >following quote about jerusalem artichoke: > > > >"Since one acre of Jerusalem artichokes yields > about 28 tons of tubers > >under average conditions and 1 ton of tubers yields > some 19 gallons of > >alcohol..." > > > >That yield per acre seems a bit too good to be > true. Does anyone know > >the true figure? > > > >Marc de Piolenc > > Hi Marc > > A US figure says 20 gallons per ton, Stephen > Mathewson says 25 gallons per ton. > > North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service gives a > yield of 5 to 7 > tons per acre in North Carolina. > > In variety trials in Minnesota yields ranged from > 9791 to 34503 lb/acre. > > A Canadian source says "Production per hectare is > some 200 to 250 > quintals of tubers and the same quantity of green > stalks." > > What's a quintal? I have two definitions: (1) 100lb, > (2) 100 kg. > Maybe this would be kg, since it quotes hectares?
I think Canada uses the metric system. Americans are about the only ones that use the american system?!? Just wonder when we are going to learn the metric system better. ;-) > The stalks are used as forage and contain a high > concentration of > soluble sugars and high moisture content. > > This is what Mathewson says: > > Jerusalem artichokes deserve special mention as a > source of alcohol > because they contain between 16-18% fermentable > material. In > addition, the starches present can be converted > without the use of > malt or enzymes if cooked for a sufficient length of > time. A ton > should yield about 25 gallons of alcohol. To prepare > artichokes for > fermentation, they should be crushed to a pulp and > cooked for 2-3 > hours. If the starch test (described in Chapter 7) > indicates that > some unconverted starch is still present, conversion > with small > amounts of either malt or enzyme might be needed. > Shorter cooking > times are possible if a greater amount of malt or > enzyme is used. For > example, a 30 minute cooking time should be > sufficient with a > conversion using 3-6% malt or the equivalent amount > of enzyme. > Dilution is not necessary because the root usually > contains 79-80% > water. After cooking, the pH is adjusted and > fermentation commenced > in the usual manner. > - Chapter 10, The Manual for the Home and Farm > Production of Alcohol > Fuel by S.W. Mathewson. See biofuels Library, full > text online: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_manual/manual_ToC.html > > It's an interesting crop. It's 100% starchless. The > principal storage > carbohydrate is inulin rather than starch and the > sugar is levulose. > > It's a sort of sunflower, grows very easily in most > soils and most > climates, likes sunshine, likes organic matter > (compost), grows like > mad and smothers out weed competition, and doesn't > get diseases. It > can be hard to eradicate though. > > hope this helps > > Best > > Keith Addison > Journey to Forever > Handmade Projects > Tokyo > http://journeytoforever.org/ > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
