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Technologies
AQUAHOL and the
H2O Injector
Sweet Sorghum
Ongoing Development
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SWEET SORGHUM
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 Sweet Sorghum is a revolutionary agricultural crop which has the proven potential to help resolve the world's fuel dependency, pollution, deforestation, housing and food supply problems. It is easier and less expensive to cultivate than corn, needing fewer pesticides and fertilizers (if any).
Due to its remarkably short growth cycle, two crops can be grown per year in warm climates (something which is impossible to do with corn). Typical stalk heights for Sweet Sorghum range from twelve (12) to fifteen (15) feet after only four (4) months.
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Compared to other crops, Sweet Sorghum yields the highest number of gallons of ethanol per acre, a renewable and sustainable fuel source which can power all of the cars on the road today (with the simple addition of the low-cost TECTANE Aquahol Injector to the engine).
There are many seed varieties and other factors to consider depending on the local climate and type of soil — TECTANE has gained in-depth knowledge and experience in growing Sweet Sorghum over the years, and can fast-track any country that wants to start growing this remarkable crop. TECTANE expects that it can save a country 3 to 5 years of trial and error. With TECTANE's guidance, a country can "get it right" the first time and start to reap the benefits within six months.
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Valuable By-products
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 In addition to ethanol for fuel, the TECTANE Sweet Sorghum by-products program includes building materials (alternatives to lumber and deforestation), fiber for pulp and paper production, and grain tops for cereals, bread, flour and animal feed, and as stored energy for chip-burning electricity-generating plants.
Sweet Sorghum fibers can be utilized for the production of compressed lumber, in various shapes and forms, including housing. These alternatives to tree lumber are extremely strong, durable and cost-effective.
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The fiber can also be processed into pulp for the fabrication of paper, cardboard and other pulp-based products. Our partner, Cascades, has completed very sucessful studies on the quality of the fiber that we provided, and the quality of the resulting paper.
Also, electricity can be generated by burning the fiber for its stored BTU energy content at power generation facilities. In developed countries, TECTANE offers co-generation plants to distill ethanol from the Sweet Sorghum, using the otherwise wasted surplus heat from the neighboring power plant. This strategy saves the cost of energy required to distill ethanol — which is approximately one-third of the overall cost of ethanol production.
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TECTANE's SoloTech Program
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 In developing countries, TECTANE's optional Sweet Sorghum SoloTech Processing System provides a huge potential to generate manual labor employment. Instead of an automated ethanol plant producing 50 million gallons of ethanol with only 50 employees, the SoloTech process employs up to 50,000 people to make 50 million gallons.
This method is very suitable for developing countries where employment is urgent and labor supply is plentiful. It is also cost-effective since automated ethanol plants cost over $100 million, take two years to build, and typically 10 years to repay the capital investment.
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The SoloTech process includes the cutting and splitting of Sweet Sorghum, all done by hand, using basic tools. Sucrose from the center of the stalk is collected and converted into fuel ethanol using a network of small distributed distilleries. Ethanol can then be used locally and distributed nationally as a clean-burning renewable fuel.
By-product processing is also mostly accomplished by hand, using basic tools. Fibers can be utilized in long strands for their structural strength, or shredded in preparation for inclusion into the pulp and paper manufacturing process. In an age when industrialization and automation often take the spotlight, it is reassuring to know that there is a viable alternative when a large workforce is available.
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