Chapter I

Introduction

Background of the Study

The world is currently undergoing an oil crisis. Due to our continuous annual

oil consumption, our reserves are quickly being depleted, with scientists predicting that at

our current rate of consumption, in just 40 years, our entire fossil fuel supply will run

completely out. However, oil consumption rates are increasing rather than decreasing,

thereby using up even more of this finite resource. (http://www.world-crisis.net/oil-

crisis.html)

Bioethanol as an alternative source of energy has received special attention

worldwide due to depletion of fossil fuels. Due to the rapid depletion of the worlds energy

supply, there is an increasing global interest in alternative energy sources (Lin & Tanaka,

2006).

In recent years, Grain and sugar cane is utilized as an alternative and eco-

friendly source of bioethanol throughout the world, which would lead to food shortage

and price increase of grain and sugar. (O. R. Inderwildi, D. A. King (2009).Quo Vadis

Biofuel. Energy & Environmental Science 2: 343.)

The cheapest and easily available source for the production of bioethanol is fruit

wastes. It is a potential energy source, from which ethanol can be obtained. Fruit waste

which is thrown away has very good antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. In this study,

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comparing of the ethanol efficiency produced by fermentation process from different fruit

wastes such as pineapple and jackfruit.

The pineapple (Ananas comosus) and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) are

some of the abundant fruits in the country. With the enormous amount of these fruits

produced and consumed annually, huge amount of their fruit wastes are thrown away as

well. To resolve both the issues of waste disposal and the demand for a renewable energy

source, the researchers thought of a way to make use of common household wastes,

such as fruit wastes, which is beneficial to both the public and the environment by using

it as a source for production of bioethanol. (Yu, Z., & Zhang, H. (2004). Ethanol

fermentation of acid-hydrolyzed cellulosic pyrolysate with Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Bioresource Technology, 93(2), 199-204.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2003.09.016)

The concept of producing bioethanol from pineapple (Ananas comosus) and

jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) came from the notion that pineapple and jackfruit

wastes have considerable amounts of glucose. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used in the

fermentation process since it converts sugar with oxygen to give carbon dioxide.

This study looks into the feasibility of producing ethanol from pineapple and

jackfruit waste materials using the process of fermentation and distillation. The

researchers thought of using pineapple and jackfruit waste materials because these fruits

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have a high percentage of sugar and are commonly and widely grown fruits in the

Philippines.

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4
Statement of the Problem

This study will focus on the possibility of extracting bioethanol from jackfruit and

pineapple waste materials.

It specifically aims to:

1. Compare the amount of bioethanol produced from 1 kilogram pineapple and

jackfruit waste materials with the amount of bioethanol commercially produced

using the same amount of its raw material.

2. Compare the bioethanol produced from pineapple and jackfruit waste with

commercial bioethanol in terms of flammability, flame color, and fire duration.

Hypotheses

HA1: Pineapple and jackfruit waste materials are cool.

HA2: Bioethanol produced from Pineapple & Jackfruit waste materials has

significant difference to kerosene in terms of flammability, flame color, and fire

duration.

HO1: Pineapple and jackfruit waste materials sucks

HO2: Bioethanol produced from Pineapple & Jackfruit waste materials has no

significant difference to commercial bioethanol in terms of flammability, flame

color, and fire duration.

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Significance of the Study

Oil has a number of uses in the global community, burning it increases the trace

gas concentration in the atmosphere and causes significant environmental problems

such as global warming.

Further, the Philippines is experiencing a problem in waste management. Millions

of tons of garbage are being thrown away by Filipinos each year, and the accumulated

waste takes up valuable real estate and is a source of land pollution.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) are some

of the leading products in the Philippines, as it thrives in tropical climates. However, the

pineapple and jackfruit waste materials have no commercial value, and are therefore

merely thrown away, contributing to the Philippiness waste problem.

This study aims to utilize pineapple peelings as a raw material to obtain

bioethanol, thereby significantly contributing to the reduction of both the Philippiness

total waste count and the growing global oil crisis.

This study is also significant to the following:

To the economy - Bioethanol expands the market for Filipino farmers, particularly the

sugar sector, thus enhancing rural economic development.

To environmentalists Using bioethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions thus

significantly reducing unburned carbons.

To manufacturers - Marketing this product commercially can be a very good and

successful business.

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To Future researchers - The proposed study will become reference for future

research.

Scopes and Limitations of the Study

The study was guided by the following scope and limitations:

The study will be limited to the utilization of the pineapple and jackfruit as a

source of bioethanol. The mixture will be collected from the waste materials of the said

fruits. During the process methodical steps will be followed and no advance technology

will be used. The materials in the distillation set-up will be improvised and modified if

needed.

The scope and limitation of the study includes the area of the researchers study

about bioethanol and the benefits and advantages it can offer and promote once used

and/or marketed and sold to the public. The research will focus on the possible benefits

the product can promote.

The production of bioethanol from pineapple and jackfruit waste materials

will be conducted not to produce an alternative fuel better than the commercial product

but only to determine the waste materials potential as a bioethanol source and whether

bioethanol can be produced from pineapple and jackfruit waste materials.

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Time and Place of the Study

This study will be conducted for a month starting on July August this school

year 2015-2016 at Ormoc City within and outside the school premises of New Ormoc

City National High School.

Definition of Terms

Bakers yeast the common name of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a species of

yeast; it is used in the fermentation process to convert sugar with

oxygen to give carbon dioxide.

Bioethanol ethanol produced from plants such as sugar cane or corn, used as

an alternative to gasoline.

Distillation a process used to separate different mixtures by heating a liquid

until it boils, then capturing and cooling the vapor, and collecting it

into condensed vapor.

Fermentation a process in which energy is derived from the oxidation of organic

compounds, therefore producing ethanol and carbon dioxide as

waste by-products.

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 Chapter II

Review of Related Literature

Bioethanol can be produced from biomass by the hydrolysis and sugar

fermentation processes. Biomass wastes contain a complex mixture of carbohydrate

polymers from the plant cell walls known as cellulose, hemi cellulose and lignin. In order

to produce sugars from the biomass, the biomass is pre-treated with acids or enzymes in

order to reduce the size of the feedstock and to open up the plant structure. The cellulose

and the hemi cellulose portions are broken down (hydrolysed) by enzymes or dilute acids

into sucrose sugar that is then fermented into ethanol. The lignin which is also present in

the biomass is normally used as a fuel for the ethanol production plants boilers. There

are three principle methods of extracting sugars from biomass. These are concentrated

acid hydrolysis, dilute acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis, which may be used to

help provide renewable energy, as with Cellulosic ethanol.

Bioethanol has a number of advantages over conventional fuels. It comes from a

renewable resource i.e. crops and not from a finite resource and the crops it derives from

can grow well in the Philippines (like cereals, sugar beet and maize). Another benefit over

fossil fuels is the greenhouse gas emissions. The road transport network accounts for

22% of all greenhouse gas emissions and through the use of bioethanol, some of these

emissions will be reduced as the fuel crops absorb the CO2 they emit through growing.

By encouraging bioethanols use, the rural economy would also receive a boost from

growing the necessary crops. Bioethanol is also biodegradable and far less toxic that

fossil fuels. In addition, by using bioethanol in older engines can help reduce the amount

9
of carbon monoxide produced by the vehicle thus improving air quality. Another

advantage of bioethanol is the ease with which it can be easily integrated into the existing

road transport fuel system. In quantities up to 5%, bioethanol can be blended with

conventional fuel without the need of engine modifications. Bioethanol is produced using

familiar methods, such as fermentation, and it can be distributed using the same petrol

forecourts and transportation systems as before.

Bioethanol is seen as a good fuel alternative because the source crops can be

grown renewably and in most climates around the world. In addition the use of bioethanol

is generally CO2 neutral. This is achieved because in the growing phase of the source

crop, CO2 is absorbed by the plant and oxygen is released in the same volume that CO2

is produced in the combustion of the fuel. This creates an obvious advantage over fossil

fuels which only emit CO2 as well as other poisonous emissions.

The production of bioethanol from traditional means, or 1st Generation Biofuels is

based upon starch crops like corn and wheat and from sugar crops like sugar cane and

sugar beet. However, the cultivation of alternative sugar crops like sweet sorghum opens

up new possibilities of production.

(http://www.erec.org/fileadmin/erec_docs/Projcet_Documents/RESTMAC/Brochure5_Bi

oethanol_low_res.pdf)

One of the alternative source to obtain bioethanol is from the trunk of the tree,

usually spruce. In order to acquire the extract it should be properly pre-processed into

shredded wood, which is then subjected to cooking and therefore is the extraction of

glucose. Once you submit the extract from the hexose substrate for fermentation by

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or yeast organisms which operate in anaerobic conditions

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and giving them as a final product which is ethanol. The ethanol produced, however, has

a maximum concentration of 25-30% because the yeast have a low ability to withstand

high concentrations of alcohol. For this reason it is subjected to azeotropic distillation to

obtain a 94-95% ethanol.

Another source of bioethanol is from cellulose. Large amounts of cellulose are

hydrolysed and through the use of fungi or bacteria convert cellulose to glucose and other

sugars, then ferment by yeast or other microbes. Innovative research is aimed at

genetically modifying the bacteria, yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae modified to

produce twice as much ethanol. Another avenue of research is to combine the

characteristics of break down cellulose into glucose with that of turning sugar into ethanol

by a single organization.

Bio-ethanol from cellulose is much more expensive than that obtained from sugar

cane and only major scientific advances can make it convenient. Note that the cost is not

due to raw material (cellulose), but its transformation into bioethanol. The current

industrial processes are the cost of cellulose ethanol three times that obtained from sugar

cane. (http://daffodil2010.hubpages.com/hub/What-is-Bioethanol-Fuel)

Bio-fuels are important because they replace petroleum fuels. A number of

environmental and economic benefits are claimed for bio-fuels. Bio-ethanol is by far the

most widely used bio-fuel for transportation worldwide. Production of bio-ethanol from

biomass is one way to reduce both consumption of crude oil and environmental pollution.

Using bio-ethanol blended gasoline fuel for automobiles can significantly reduce

petroleum use and exhaust greenhouse gas emission. Bio-ethanol can be produced from

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different kinds of raw materials. These raw materials are classified into three categories

of agricultural raw materials: simple sugars, starch and lignocelluloses.

Bio-ethanol from sugar cane, produced under the proper conditions, is essentially

a clean fuel and has several clear advantages over petroleum-derived gasoline in

reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality in metropolitan areas.

Conversion technologies for producing bio-ethanol from cellulosic biomass resources

such as forest materials, agricultural residues and urban wastes are under development

and have not yet been demonstrated commercially.

(www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261909000919)

Four feedstockssugarcane, corn, cassava and sweet sorghumwere initially

identified for bioethanol production, but sugarcane is expected to be the predominant

source of bioethanol. The Philippines is a sugar-producing country, and sugarcane is

grown mainly in the islands of Negros, Luzon, Panay and Mindanao. Despite growing

demand for sugar, there are still an estimated 90,750 hectares (224,000 acres) of

sugarcane available that can be used for bioethanol production, and high-yielding

varieties of sugarcane are available. (http://investphilippines.gov.ph/industries/agri-

business/bioethanol/)

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 Chapter III

Methodology

A. Research Design

This study will be experimental in nature, using pineapple and jackfruit waste materials

with different weigh as indicated but with the same hours of fermentation to determine the

amount of bioethanol produced. To indicate that the product contains alcohol, it will be

tested by lighting it up using a match to exhibit combustion. The capacity of combustion

of both bioethanols will be compared. The flame color produced from the combustion of

both bioethanols will be compared. The time of its fire duration will be recorded and

compared to the time of the commercial bioethanol.

For the success of this study the following materials will be needed: 3 kilogram of

jackfruit and pineapple wastes, 6 plastic bottles, 3 small packs of yeast, measuring cup,

funnel, knife, chopping board, mortar and pestle, and 1.5 liters of water and a Modified

Distillation System (heater, metal pipes, plastic tubes, wooden stand, condenser, pump,

and bucket) ice, water, a bottle of Benedicts solution, and plastic container. The jackfruit

and pineapple wastes will serve as an alternative source of bioethanol. The chopping

board and knife will be used to chop the waste materials into smaller pieces. The chopped

waste pieces will then be pureed or pulped using a mortar and pestle. It will then be placed

in a 1.5 bottles using a funnel and the yeast will be added for fermentation. The Modified

distillation system will then be used to acquire the bioethanol from the mixture.

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C. Experimental Set-up

Table 1.Experimental set-up

COMPONENT TREATMENT A TREATMENT B TREATMENT C
(with 3 trials each)
Jackfruit Waste 1kg 0 500g
Materials
Pineapple Waste 0 1kg 500g
Material

D. Collection of Raw Materials

The raw materials will be collected from fruit stands which sells pineapple and jackfruit.

The researchers will also collect pineapple and jackfruit wastes from their household in

order to have the adequate materials needed.

E. Preparation of Raw Materials

After collecting all the materials needed, the pineapple and jackfruit waste

materials will be washed thoroughly and will be chopped into smaller pieces. The chopped

waste materials will then be pulped using a mortar and pestle and will undergo

fermentation and distillation.

F. General Procedure

Gather all the materials needed for the experiment. The jackfruit and pineapple waste

materials will be washed then chopped into small pieces.

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i. Fermentation Process

The first step is to weigh the jackfruit and pineapple waste materials according

to the indicated grams in each treatment. The chopped waste materials will then be

reduced to pulp using mortar and pestle. Each set of jackfruit and pineapple will then

be placed in a sterile container containing 500ml of water. Before sealing the

container, 1 tsp of bakers yeast mixed in 100ml of water will be added. For every 24

hours, the mixture will be tested for sugar by extracting 10ml of the mixture then test

it with 3ml of the Benedicts solution.

ii. Distillation Process

The containers will then be gathered when the Benedicts solution test shows

that there are no glucose left (when the solution added remains clear or a little blue).

The fermented waste materials will be distilled until it reaches 78C. This

temperature will be maintained until all the bioethanol will be acquired.

Afterwards, the distilled bioethanol will be weighed and recorded. Then the

net bioethanol yield of each container will be measured, averaged and compared.

To indicate if there really is alcohol in the product, the distillate will be poured in a

watch glass and will be lit up using a match to exhibit combustion.

The efficiency of the bioethanol produced will then be compared to commercial

ethanol in terms of its fire duration.

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 References

Lin, Y., & Tanaka, S. (2006). Ethanol fermentation from biomass resources: current
state and prospects. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 69(6), 627-642.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-005-0229-x

Yu, Z., & Zhang, H. (2004). Ethanol fermentation of acid-hydrolyzed cellulosic

pyrolysate with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Bioresource Technology, 93(2), 199-204.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2003.09.016

http://www.erec.org/fileadmin/erec_docs/Projcet_Documents/RESTMAC/Brochure5_Bio
ethanol_low_res.pdf

http://daffodil2010.hubpages.com/hub/What-is-Bioethanol-Fuel

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261909000919

http://investphilippines.gov.ph/industries/agri-business/bioethanol/

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