A Comparison of the
Efficiency of Starch-Ethanol
From Maize Kernels
And Cellulosic-Ethanol From
Corncobs as Bio-fuels
4S 2012-2013
I. Background and Significance
II. Objectives
III. Hypothesis
IV. Methodology
V. Data
VI. Analysis
VII. Recommendations
VIII.Conclusion
Background and Significance
•Other than being a renewable source of energy, biofuels are also considered more environmentally
friendly than petroleum.
•This is mainly because of the presence of an
additional oxygen atom in ethanol, which reduces
carbon monoxide
Background and Significance
• A first-generation bio-fuel comes from seeds,
grains, or sugars. Ethanol or butanol is fermented
from starch or sugar.
• Second-generation bio-fuel is produced from
lignocellulosic biomass, which means low-cost, nonedible feedstock can be used.
Background and Significance
• A first-generation bio-fuel competes with crops
used for food. Second generation bio-fuels can
be made using crop wastes such as husks and
cobs.
Background and Significance
• Corn is one of the most abundant biomass in
the Philippines.
• Estimated output of for the whole of 2010:
6.8 MMT
Objectives
1) Identify which material, lignocellulosic biomass
or starch-laden biomass, will produce more
ethanol when equal samples (by mass) are
fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast).
Objectives
2) Compare the efficiency between the bio-fuel
made from the ethanol extracted from the
fermented lignocellulosic material (corn cobs)
and the bio-fuel made from the ethanol extracted
from the starch-laden material (maize kernels)
when combusted and identify which between
them will serve as the more efficient petroleumgasoline substitute.
Objectives
3) Compare the efficiency of the bio-fuels
made from the extracted ethanol samples with
the commercialized petroleum-gasoline when
combusted.
Hypothesis
1) If the amount of lignocellulosic biomass to be
fermented is equal (by mass) to the amount of
starch-laden biomass to be fermented, then the
amount of cellulosic ethanol extracted will be
equal (by volume) to the amount of starch
ethanol extracted.
Hypothesis
2) If the bio-fuel made from the cellulosic ethanol,
and the bio-fuel made from the starch were
combusted to test and compare their respective
efficiencies as petroleum-gasoline substitutes,
then the efficiency of the bio-fuel made from the
cellulosic ethanol samples will be equal to, or
greater than, the efficiency of the bio-fuel made
from the starch ethanol samples.
Hypothesis
3) If the bio-fuel made from the cellulosic ethanol
samples, and the commercialized petroleumgasoline were combusted to test and compare
their respective efficiencies as fuel, then the
efficiency of the bio-fuel made from the cellulosic
ethanol samples will be equal to, or greater than,
the efficiency of commercialized petroleumgasoline.
Methodology
A) Pre-treatment
B) Fermentation
C) Distillation
D) Combustion
Pre-treatment
Pre-treatment
Pre-treatment
Fermentation
Distillation
Distillation
Distillation
Combustion
Combustion
Data
Data
Data
Analysis
For this experiment, 26.7% of the lignocellulose
and 30.5% of the starch laden biomass were
converted into ethanol through the various
processes of breaking down through physical and
chemical means, and by adding yeast
(Saccharomyces
cerevisia),ethanol
was
produced and extracted through distillation.
Analysis
The gasoline mixed with ethanol produced results with
equal torque, rpm and speed, while pure gasoline
slightly exceeded the performance of the bio-fuels.
Because ethanol has a lower density as to pure
gasoline, there is less fuel to be burned if equal
volumes were used. As such, bio-fuels will give of less
heat energy that will affect the amount of energy the
engine can give off.
Recommendations
1) Better Pre-treatment
2) Better Distillation
3) Test concentration of ethanol
Conclusion
We therefore conclude that production of a
second generation bio-fuel requires more
biomass than the biomass needed for the
production of a first generation bio-fuel. However,
second generation bio-fuels perform just as
efficiently as first generation bio-fuels when
combusted in equal concentrations in an internal
combustion engine.