This lonely volunteer shaft of corn is growing downtown, near the firehouse.
Except…
I don’t think its corn.
Looks more like sorghum, but I don’t think sorghum grows in Vermont.
If it is, how did it get here?
Any ideas?
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Biodiesel source
Well, it definitely is sorghum, or more likely, a hybrid of sorghum and Sudangrass which can grow vigorously in this climate. But how it came to be growing out of a blacktop parking lot beats me.
One thing interesting is that this plant, by itself, contains all the ingredients necessary to make biodiesel, (though not necessarily in the proper proportions):
*The seeds contain oil. (also, they can be popped like corn)
*The stems contain a sugary juice which can be fermented and distilled into ethanol. (In the Southern States, sorghum syrup is used on pancakes).
*The bagasse (Stems after the juice has been pressed) can fuel the distillation process.
*The ash contains KOH, a cousin to Lye which converts the oil-ethanol mixture to biodiesel, with glycerin as a byproduct.
This suggests a new industry for Vermont.