See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230151482 Production of Bio Fuel from Fruit Waste Article · January 2011 CITATIONS READS 4 6,379 2 authors, including: Debajit Borah Dibrugarh University 40 PUBLICATIONS 77 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: research paper View project enzymology View project All content following this page was uploaded by Debajit Borah on 06 June 2017. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. All in-text references underlined in blue are added to the original document and are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately. International Journal of Advanced Biotechnology Research. Volume 1, Number 1 (2011), pp. 71-74 © Research India Publications http://www.ripublication.com/ijabr.htm Production of Bio Fuel from Fruit Waste Debajit Borah* and Vimalendra Mishra Dept. of Biotechnology, Beehive College of Advance Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India *Corresponding Author E-mail: dborah89@gmail.com Abstract With increase in the demand of petroleum products the prices of petrol & diesel are increasing world wide. Hence alternative sources of energy for running our generators, automobiles etc. are being considered world wide. Till now the scientific community of India is trying to produce bio fuels from various sources such as Jatropha curcas, Pongamia pinnata, Azadirachta indica, Madhuca indica etc. Our main objective is to search for a relatively cheaper source for the production of ethanol & to develop easier techniques for the production so that the common people can also produce it by themselves. For this purpose we are taking fruit wastes (apple pomace and rotten banana) as a substrate for the production of ethanol by treating it with distilled water, small amount of sucrose and Saccharomyces cerevisiae which was collected from “FRI, Dehradun”. After 36 hrs of fermentation process we got a yield of 38% ethanol. After distillation we could recover a total volume of 200 ml of 48% concentrated ethanol from a total volume of 1500 ml of substrate mixture. By redistilling the obtained product a higher concentration of ethanol can be obtained. It has various advantages over the traditional fuel as it can be prepared by anyone in their kitchen also. It is much cleaner and better for the environment and releases no toxic gases, hence not harmful to human health also. The waste materials after the fermentation can be used in the soil as a fertilizer. Keywords: Bio fuel, fruit wastes, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ethanol. Introduction Ethanol fuel is ethanol (ethyl alcohol), the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for 72 Debajit Borah and Vimalendra Mishra gasoline. World ethanol production for transport fuel tripled between 2000 and 2007 from 17 billion to more than 52 billion litres. From 2007 to 2008, the share of ethanol in global gasoline type fuel use increased from 3.7% to 5.4%. In 2009 worldwide ethanol fuel production reached 19.5 billion gallons (73.9 billion liters). Ethanol is widely used in Brazil and in the United States, and together both countries were responsible for 89 percent of the world's ethanol fuel production in 2009. Most cars on the road today in the U.S. can run on blends of up to 10% ethanol, and the use of 10% ethanol gasoline is mandated in some U.S. states and cities. Since 1976 the Brazilian government has made it mandatory to blend ethanol with gasoline, and since 2007 the legal blend is around 25% ethanol and 75% gasoline (E25). In addition, by 2010 Brazil had a fleet of more than 10 million flexible-fuel vehicles regularly using neat ethanol fuel (Goettemoeller J. et al 2007). Bioethanol, unlike petroleum, is a form of renewable energy that can be produced from agricultural feedstocks. It can be made from very common crops such as sugar cane, potato, manioc and maize. However, there has been considerable debate about how useful bioethanol will be in replacing gasoline. Concerns about its production and use relate to increased food prices, the large amount of arable land required for crops, as well as the energy and pollution balance of the whole cycle of ethanol production, especially from corn. Recent developments with cellulosic ethanol production and commercialization may allay some of these concerns. Cellulosic ethanol offers promise because cellulose fibers, a major and universal component in plant cells walls, can be used to produce ethanol. According to the International Energy Agency, cellulosic ethanol could allow ethanol fuels to play a much bigger role in the future than previously thought (Inderwildi O.R. et al. 2009). In India people are trying to produce bio fuels from various sources such as Jatropha curcas, Pongamia pinnata, Azadirachta indica, Madhuca indica etc. In our present study our main objective was to search for a relatively cheaper source for the production of ethanol & to develop easier techniques for the production so that the common people can also produce it by themselves. For this purpose we are taking fruit wastes (apple pomace and rotten banana) as a substrate for the production of ethanol by fermenting it with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Methods & materials Collection of the fruit wastes For this purpose we had collected a total of 400 gm of apple pomace and rotten ripen banana from the fruit market situated in Dehradun. These were washed in 5% Potassium permanganate (KMNO4) & rinsed well in distilled water. Preparation of the substrate for the fermentation process The protocol of Akin-Osanaiye B.C. was used for the process of fermentation with some modifications. The apple pomace and the rotten bananas were crushed in a mixer. Now in a separate beaker 300ml of slightly warm distilled water was taken and Production of Bio Fuel from Fruit Waste 73 50gm of sucrose and 10gm of Saccharomyces cerevisiae collected from “FRI, Dehradun”, was added and mixed well. Now this mixture was added in the previously made mixture of apple pomace & rotten banana and mixed in a mixture. The mixture was transferred into a 1.5ltr conical flask and made the final volume up to 1000ml with slightly warm distilled water. The flask is covered with dark paper and the mouth is sealed and kept in a shaker incubator and allowed to incubate for 36hrs at 36oC with a speed of 100rpm. Recovery of the product After 36hrs of fermentation process a small amount the sample was taken out and centrifuged. The supernatant was collected and the volume of the alcohol was determined by the specific gravity method. Then the rest of the sample was distilled using normal lab distiller to collect the concentrated alcohol (A.O.A.C 1970 & 1980). The concentration of ethanol was determined by the specific gravity method. Results & discussion After 36hrs of incubation a total volume of 200ml of 48% ethanol was obtained from a total volume of 1000ml of substrate after distillation. Using higher grade distillation assembly a more concentrated product can be recovered by re distillation. The higher concentrated ethanol can be used as a bio fuel and it reduces no toxic gases to the environment. The substrates used are very cheap raw material and the process was found to be very easy and less cost effective and a common man can involve himself develop it as a small scale industry. As it releases no toxic residue so it is eco friendly and hence the left outs can be disposed in the soil. Conclusion In our present study we tried to obtain a higher concentration of alcohol using fruit wastes (apple pomace and rotten banana) by fermenting them with the help of common baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As we could obtain 48% alcohol after distillation so we can predict that a higher concentration of alcohol can be obtained after re distillation of the product obtained. A higher concentration of alcohol can be use as a bio fuel. As this process is cost effective and do not yield any toxic residues so a common man can develop this technique and can produce it in an industrial level. References [1] Akin-Osanaiye B.C., Nzelibe H.C., Agbaji A.S. (2005). Production of ethanol from Carica papaya (pawpaw) agro waste: effect of saccharification and different treatments on ethanol yield. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 4(7): 657 - 659. 74 Debajit Borah and Vimalendra Mishra [2] Association of Official Analytical Chemists (A.O.A.C.) (1970 and 1980). Official Methods of Analysis 13th Ed. Horwits, W., Ed. A.O.A.C., Washington D.C. [3] J. Goettemoeller, A. Goettemoeller (2007). Sustainable Ethanol: Biofuels, Biorefineries, Cellulosic Biomass, Flex-Fuel Vehicles, and Sustainable Farming for Energy Independence (Brief and comprehensive account of the history, evolution and future of ethanol). Prairie Oak Publishing, Maryville, Missouri. ISBN 9780978629304. [4] O. R. Inderwildi, D. A. King (2009).Quo Vadis Biofuel. Energy & Environmental Science 2: 343. View publication stats