STATE OF THE ART: HARVESTING, STORAGE AND LOGISTIC OF THE SWEET SORGHUM

This project aimed to optimise the production, throughout the EU, of sweet sorghum for use as an energy crop and for fibre. It focused on previously identified limitations relating to growth and use of the crop; including temperature sensitivity, harvesting, extraction and bagasse use. For agriculture, water and nitrogen use was optimised and linked to a productivity model. Further information was obtained about the composition of the crop and suitability for use as an industrial raw material. Alternative processes (juice extraction, fermentation, use of bagasse for electricity generation or production of paper and anaerobic digestion of wastes) were modelled. Results were used to simulate various economic and environmental scenarios, providing conclusions on the basis of which specific actions could be recommended In the present paper the researches carried out on sweet sorghum logistics, in Italy and in the United Sates are reported. Data referring to the test carried out on sugar cane harvester Claas cc 1400 adapted to work on sweet sorghum in Italy and the description of the prototypes built, are also reported.