Comparison of ethanol production performance in 10 varieties of sweet potato at different growth stages

The performance in the ethanol production of 10 varieties of sweet potato was evaluated, and the consumption in raw materials, land occupation and fermentation waste residue in producing 1 ton of anhydrous ethanol were investigated. The comparative results between 10 varieties of sweet potato at 3 growth stages indicated that NS 007 and SS 19 were better feedstocks for ethanol production, exhibiting less feedstock consumption (6.19 and 7.59 tons/ton ethanol, respectively), the least land occupation (0.24 and 0.24 ha/ton ethanol, respectively), less fermentation waste residue (0.56 and 0.55 tons/ton ethanol, respectively), the highest level of ethanol output per unit area (4.17 and 4.17 ton/ha, respectively), and a lower viscosity of the fermentation culture (591 and 612 mPa S, respectively). The data above are average data. In most varieties, the ethanol output speed at day 130 was the highest. Therefore, NS 007 and SS 19 could be used for ethanol production and harvested after 130 days of growth from an economic point of view. In addition, the high content of fermentable sugars and low content of fiber in sweet potatoes are criteria for achieving low viscosity in ethanol fermentation cultures.