Comparative production of ethanol from sugarcane, english potatoes and beet by fermentation

Abstract

Introduction: The search for fuels from renewable sources is extremely important for the environment, since they have less release of toxic gases during combustion. Ethanol is an example of a renewable source fuel and can be obtained through the fermentation process of yeasts of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae and raw materials that contain sugar such as sugar cane and beet, or starchy raw materials such as potatoes. Objective: This work aims to evaluate the production of ethanol from the fermentation of sugarcane, beet and potato potatoes and to compare the ethanol content obtained by each substrate. Methods: The fermentation was carried out in conical flasks with marcerated substrates and biological yeast, in the proportion 1:10 and in the following conditions 30º C, 8 hours, under agitation. For the potato substrate, the saccharification step was added with a 1% v / v sulfuric acid solution. Then, the samples rested at room temperature for 15 hours for the measurement of ethanol, which was carried out by a densimeter and compared the alcohol content of the three fermentation processes. Results: The data obtained showed that sugarcane had an average ethanol yield of 9.83%, followed by potatoes with an average of 1.7%, and beet with an average of 1.24%. Conclusion: Thus, the sugarcane showed the best source for the production of biotenol, both because of the higher alcohol content obtained and because of the ease of production.