Sugar beets have been grown primarily in the Midwest for the production of table sugar and have recently gained interest for planting and harvesting in other areas of the United States such as Florida based on their potential use as cattle feed, as a feedstock for ethanol production and as a cover crop to improve the quality of water via soil nutrient accumulation. Sugar beets grown in southern Florida and Minnesota were subjected to steam explosion using a continuous steam explosion pilot scale system located at the United States Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida. Analysis of soluble and insoluble sugars as well as pectin from raw and steam exploded sugar beet were completed. Fermentations of raw and steam exploded sugar beets, with and without enzymes, were conducted. There was no significant difference in ethanol production from the fermentation of steam exploded sugar beets with and without enzymes indicating that addition of enzymes are not necessary for optimization of fermentation. Pilot scale fermentations of the steam exploded sugar beet gave 6.7-9.7 percent ethanol by volume. Investigations into using already established methods and infrastructure for the citrus processing industry for processing sugar beets were conducted and industrial scale processing of sugar beets at a local citrus processing plant was completed. This work is part of the Farm to Fly initiative which is aimed at creating a commercial scale south Florida sustainable alternative jet fuel and bio-products industry. <br/>

Investigation of sugar beets as a feedstock for sustainable alternative jet fuel in south Florida

255th National Meeting (2018)

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