Making Bio-fuels
TAF Academy
Members: Sebastian Sandoval,
Lorenzo Scott, Marvin Aguirre,
Jeue’l Asherz, Khalil Rahman
Significance For Study
-Petroleum will not sustain the United States
much longer therefore alternative energy
sources must be pursued.
-One solution is biofuels which are created from
organic compounds.
-By analyzing different types of biofuel we can
determine what would best su
Research Question and Hypothesis
Question: How will corn ethanol
preform in a RPM test?
Hypothesis: Because corn is a starch
which is amore complex sugar than
sugarcane (disaccharide) meaning it will
yield well in a RPM test.
Design
IV: The Bio-fuel corn
DV: The amount of RPMs we get for each
of the bio-fuels
Constants:
-Engine
-Amount of each bio-fuel put into engine
Controls: Regular Gasoline on the engine
to see if bio-fuels can compare
Next Steps
-We plan on distilling our alcohol to get a
higher concentration, then we will test the
RPM’s lawnmower
Process to ferment
1) To prepare we had to boil the corn
mash with an enzyme that breaks
down/ weakens the cell wall.
2) Then we have to let the corn
ferment for about 1-2 weeks
3) After it has fermented we would
have to distill.
Our Results
After fermenting 2000mL of corn
ethanol for a week we then tested
for the alcohol percentage using a
hydrometer.
Alcohol Percentage
w/out distilling: 2%
Cellulose
 Cellulose is a complex linear polysaccharide
 Consists of over ten thousand β linked D- glucose units
 Formula: CC6H10O5
(cubed)
A and B structures: two forms of Cellulose.
A form is weakest structure
B form in the strongest structure
Found in plants and organic materials
 Density: 1.50 g/cm
Current uses of Cellulose
Why Cellulose?
 Cellulose can be used as a fuel source
 Complex polysaccharides broken down = multiple glucose particles
 Glucose converts into ethanol
 Ethanol can be used as an alternative less severe fuel source
 Cellulose is found everywhere
 Easily accessible and renewable resource
Lab Materials
Hydrometer
6.5 Gallon
Tachometer
References
• Douglas, C. P. (2011). Biomass Fuel. Environmental Encyclopedia, Vol.
1, pg 187-190. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/
• Gale Virtual Reference Library. (2011). Ethanol. Environmental
Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pg 626 range. Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/
• K., L. L., Brenda, W. L., & Kathleen, J. E. (2012). Bioenergy. Alternative
Energy, Vol. 1, pg63-106. Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (May 18, 2012). Biofuels.
Retrieved from http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biofuels.html
• Steven, I. D. (2010). Biofuels. Encyclopedia of Global Warming, Vol. 1, pg
140-142. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/
• Joseph.N. (2012). How to make corn ethanol. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/how_4840022_make-corn-ethanol.html
• Allan.R. (2012). How to make ethanol from sugar cane. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/how_5581320_make-ethanol-sugar-cane.html