Photo by V. Miller
April 9, 2008
Improving Ethanol Production
Creating Bioethanol out of Sugarcane and Bananas
John Douglas Haswell, 14, Hilo, Hawaii
Finalist, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2007
Project background: To do his part to fight global warming, John Douglas decided to investigate a way to improve efficiency in making ethanol. Since bananas and sugarcane are abundant in his state, he was able to obtain leftover quantities of both foods from the local markets for testing purposes. He hypothesized that sugarcane would make a better ethanol source than bananas.
Tactics and results: John Douglas collected ample amounts of both foods and used yeast to brew equal-sized batches of each in separate containers for a week and half. He strained out the biomass with a sieve. Next he built a distillery using a kettle, copper tubing, a cork, a thermometer, and sealant. John Douglas distilled each batch three times, recording the final alcohol content.
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| Photo by V. Miller |
Photo by V. Miller
John Douglas found that the sugarcane rendered an alcohol content close to 80 percent, while the bananas yielded an alcohol content that was closer to 45 percent.
To get science project ideas and expert advice from Science Buddies, go to www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/areas_of_science.shmtl.
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