Columbian Group to Begin Sugarcane Ethanol Production in the US
09 June 2008
Miami Herald. The Columbia-based Inverandino business group is poised to begin production of sugarcane ethanol in Louisiana by the middle of next year.
According to projections from Louisiana Green Fuels (LGF), the holding company that is advancing the project, the sugarcane ethanol operations will produce 100 million gallons of ethanol within five years.
For the past two years, and in a very discrete manner, the Inverandino business group, controlled by the Santacoloma family of Colombia, has taken over the operations of three sugar mills in the area that will be exclusively dedicated to converting sugar cane into ethanol and organic fertilizers.
“We came to create a change in the paradigm that in the United States it is not possible to produce ethanol from sugar cane in a way that is profitable, and we are determined to make it happen,” said Mario Andres Cortes, LGF director of communications.>
LGF currently manages more than 14,000 acres of sugarcane cultivation in the US through a co-op arrangement with Louisiana farmers. The sugarcane is currently used in syrup production.
The state of Louisiana is providing assistance to the project. The processing plants are located in Lacassine, St. James and Bunkie.
Cool: let's kick the corn habit!
PS: Colombia's second letter is 'o' not 'u'
Posted by: JN2 | 09 June 2008 at 01:44 AM
So says Juan Valdez.
Posted by: | 09 June 2008 at 06:03 AM
Yeah! And Say Hello to My Little Friend, sugarcane.
Posted by: DS | 09 June 2008 at 06:20 AM
It may not be the ideal source of agro-liquid fuel but with a potential 1200 to 3000 gal/acre, energy sugarcane is way ahead of corn's 400 to 500 gal/acre.
It compares favourably with switchgrass cellulosic ethanol, 2500 gal/acre potential, and
it has a much better energy multiplier of up to 1:8 vs only 1:1.4 for corn ethanol.
Does anybody know how many acres could be planted with energy surgarcane in USA? Is it enough to make a significant difference?
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 June 2008 at 09:43 AM
It may not be the ideal source of agro-liquid fuel but with a potential 1200 to 3000 gal/acre, energy sugarcane is way ahead of corn's 400 to 500 gal/acre.
It compares favourably with switchgrass cellulosic ethanol, 2500 gal/acre potential, and
it has a much better energy multiplier of up to 1:8 vs only 1:1.4 for corn ethanol.
Does anybody know how many acres could be planted with energy surgarcane in USA? Is it enough to make a significant difference?
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 June 2008 at 09:43 AM
Not that I'm not more for cane based ethanol production over corn based due to its higher efficiency in conversion. a shift to sugar cane will burden the cane based foods on the market potentially giving back some of the market to corn syrup based foods which are of less nutritional benefit. Not that sugar in any form is all that beneficial.
How about ethanol sucks and should realistically have no long term future based off all the number of issues associated with it, first and foremost transportation of the fuel in any meaningful volume is hindered by ethanol's ability to bind with water.
Posted by: phronesis | 09 June 2008 at 01:05 PM
Sorghum is: a better fit for North America, tolerates cold better and can be grown where corn and wheat currently grow. More output per acre.
Read David Blume's Alcohol can be a gas.
Posted by: Mark M | 09 June 2008 at 01:30 PM
I will like to know ,if you can send me work aplication ,of tell me how can I aply for the company .
Thank you Oliden Izquierdo
Posted by: Oliden Izquierdo | 15 June 2008 at 02:50 PM
GREAT ! HOPE THEY CAN EXPAND TO FLORIDA ,TEXAS ,HAWAII AND SOUTH CALIFORNIA
ALSO BELIEVE THERE IS A FUTURE FOR SWEET SORGHUM PRODUCTION AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR ETHANOL EVEN BRIGHTER THAN FOR SUGARCANE
Posted by: DANIEL D MARTIN | 17 June 2008 at 07:58 PM
GREAT ! HOPE THEY CAN EXPAND TO FLORIDA ,TEXAS ,HAWAII AND SOUTH CALIFORNIA
ALSO BELIEVE THERE IS A FUTURE FOR SWEET SORGHUM PRODUCTION AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR ETHANOL EVEN BRIGHTER THAN FOR SUGARCANE
Posted by: DANIEL D MARTIN | 17 June 2008 at 07:58 PM
Why not lease land along the Mexico/USA border and grow it there. It must be the proper climate because some cane is grown there already. Provide a decent wage for those who work in the production of the cane and I am sure you will get all the laborers you want. Produce cane for ethenol to reduce the our dependency on fossil fuel, and reduce the influx of Mexican imigrants crossing our border to acquire hard labor jobs for wages that cannot be gotten in there own country. In the earlier years of this country we solved our problems and advanced industrially by the use of imigrants who wanted to labor in building railroads, roads, dams, coal mines etc. Corn is probably not the answer break the strangle hold of the corn lobbyist spend the money (like Brazil did) to develop the answer. Our US goverment needs to use some thought and develop some answers.
Posted by: Don | 27 June 2008 at 11:33 AM
I am sure sugarcane is a good soulution ..really i am not a expert in these things so i will not comment either way..One thing i do know and that is that high gasoline prices do SUCK
Posted by: Jimmy | 29 June 2008 at 07:16 AM
Yes we can grow much more sugar cane for ethanol in the South East as far as Savanah,Georgia and also in southern California and the Colorado river delta
Also SWEET SORGHUM can be grown all over the prairies ,and the South West and South East for more ethanol production than all the corn ethanol we make today
SWEET POTATOES is also one of the highest yielding ffedstocks for ethanol(there is a lot of new investment going to it in China)so why not expand is cultivation greatly in the USA.Same for sugar beets
If we exploit all those plus cellulosic ethanol we will be in our way to energy independence sequiring our country future and prosperity
Posted by: DANIEL D MARTIN | 16 July 2008 at 09:45 PM