Fermentative Bioethanol Production from Non-Conventional Mexican Plants Substrates: A Biochemical Evaluation​

Grade:

9

Teacher:

Alfred Santos

Around 22% of greenhouse gases are produced by fossil fuels (gasoline) every year. At the same time, this also contributes to air pollution. For these reasons, we deiced to find a n alternative method of producing ethanol, a common biofuel using common Mexican plants. To do this, we conducted the following methods. First, we created the fermentation chamber using a mason jar and a PVC pipe and sealed it with clay. Second, we prepared 20 of fruits for the experiment which included guava and tamarind. We blended the fruits and placed them in the fermentation chamber and added 1 g of activated yeast and closed the lid. To measure the carbon dioxide production, we utilized Neulog CO2 sensor and ran the experiment for 1 hour. The results showed that tamarind produced more carbon dixoide than guava. However, the guava produced carbon dioxide at a faster rate. The sudden surge in CO₂ production in guava suggests a threshold or delayed fermentation effect, possibly due to differences in sugar availability or microbial activation compared to tamarind. These contrasting patterns demonstrate that fruit type influences fermentation dynamics, affecting both the rate and consistency of CO₂ generation during fermentation. This project is important because it can show a more environmentally friendly way of producing biofuel. At the same time, this also proves that this process can be done in a very accessible way.

Project presentation

Research paper