Ethanol Production Scifair Projects

Biofuels

Biofuels are basically alcohols that are produced from plant material. The most commonly used plants for the production of ethanol are corn and sugar cane.

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Objectives/Goals

Title & Purpose of Exhibit: Corn, Cornstalk, Bamboo, or Sugar Cane?

The theme of this exhibit is ethanol production using different materials. Ethanol is alcohol that is produced from sugars by the process of fermentation. This experiment is to explore more options in the materials used in this process other than corn. Using corn to produce ethanol is economically unrealistic; it takes more energy to produce the ethanol than the amount collected. This experiment will compare bamboo and cornstalk to the corn and sugar cane. The outcome can then be used find a better and more realistic alternative to replace the use of petroleum.

Hypothesis: If corn, cornstalk, green and dry bamboo, and sugar cane are used to produce ethanol, then the amount of ethanol produced will be the highest for sugar cane, then cornstalk, then corn kernel, then green bamboo, then dry bamboo will be the lowest.

Methods/Materials

Experimental Design: Collect the materials need to get 500mL of grinded malt. Grind each material down using various methods. Divide into to cups of 250mL and boil for 30 minutes. Then put it in a plastic container and add water so that it rises to 2Ls. Add ½ a teaspoon and set a side to ferment for more than five days. After fermentation is done, open the brew and measure alcohol level using a vinometer.

Results

Results: Corn kernel produced an average of 90mLs of alcohol, and sugar cane produced an average of 240mLs of alcohol. Cornstalk had an average of 95mLs of alcohol, green bamboo had an average of 80mLs of alcohol, and dry bamboo had an average of 40mLs of alcohol.

Conclusions/Discussion

Conclusion: In conclusion, though our hypothesis was correct, this experiment provided data that shows that there are other materials that produce more alcohol than corn kernel, such as cornstalk. Cornstalk is not a profitable material, so if used to make into ethanol it will not affect the economy. Also it shows that bamboo can also be used which is a realistic material because it is like grass, in that is grows fast and is a non-profitable. 3rd party contributor