*2.2.3 Industrial uses*

Besides being used for food and feed, cereals are also used in industry as inputs and raw materials for the manufacture of a range of chemicals and other food and non-food products. Sorghum and maize are used in the brewery industry to manufacture alcoholic drinks by fermentation [16, 39]. Distillation and fermentation of cereal grains produce solvents and acids for instance ethyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, propyl alcohols, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, acetone, lactic acid, citric acid glycerol and whisky [16]. Cereal straw and starches are used to improve the quality of recycled paper. Cornstarch obtained from the wet milling process is used for food, textile and paper sizing adhesives [16]. Cereal grain residues and straw dehulling are used in the production of energy in anaerobic biogas digesters. The gas produced from cereals has high methane, making it suitable to for use in internal combustion engines or to drive turbines for power generation. Corn syrup from wet milling of maize is used as a natural sweetener [16]. Currently, the major industrial use of cereals is in production of bioenergy. Cereals, especially maize [16], wheat [39], and sorghum [28] are used for ethanol (ethyl alcohol) production. This is the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, and is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline [16]. Increasing demand for ethanol production and the anticipated expansion of the industry has resulted in increased maize prices and has provided incentives to increasing maize acreage [28, 36]. Production of bioenergy crops offers opportunities for agriculture to be part of the solution for global energy challenges and mitigation of climate change impacts [19].
