Biofuels in Venezuela

In order to evaluate the yield of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid) for ethanol production, eleven cultivars were evaluated: V91-8, V98-86, V91-01, V99-271, C323-368, V98-120, V99-236, B80-408, V00-50, V99-190, CP74-2005 during one production cycle. The trial was carried out in the field of the Universidad Nacional Experimental Sur del Lago "Jesús María Semprum" (UNESUR), in a randomized block design, choosing plants from the central furrow of each experimental plot (45 m2/treatment). The criteria evaluated were: production in tons of cane per hectare (TCH), tons of sugar/ha (TAH), percentage of polysaccharides (% POL), liters of ethanol per hectare (LtEt/hA), efficiency (LtEt/TC) and concentration of ethanol produced. The results indicate non-significant differences between treatments due to the effect of cultivars for the variable TAH, and highly significant for efficiency (LtEt/TC) (p ≥ 0.001) and ethanol concentration (p ≥ 0.001). Venezuela can produce ethanol from sugarcane crops in the area south of Lake Maracaibo.