Production of bio-ethanol from cassava peelings
Abstract
The bioethanol production from waste is acquiring attraction as a strategy for increasing energy security. The rising energy requirements and atmospheric contamination by combustion gases and conventional fuel, has opened avenues for new, safe, effective and more accessible energy sources. This study looked at the production of bio-ethanol from cassava peels. Cassava peels were collected from Kalerwe market from market vendors who had peeled cassava, prepared by washing to remove sand, dirt, and other impurities that may affect the results, the peels were then sun dried for some days to remove moisture and grinded into cassava flour, the flour was thereafter cooked to slurry to aid enzymatic activity in the laboratory. Aspergillus Niger (A.N) was used for the hydrolysis for seven days, and was aseptically added to the autoclaved samples. The uniform action of enzymes was achieved throughout the sample, also Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used for the fermentation of the hydrolysate for seven days, and this was aseptically added to the hydrolysate after filtration and autoclaving at 121o C for 15 mins. Distillation of the fermented liquid was carried out immediately after fermentation, 8.5 % of ethanol by volume was produced after distillation from the 20 g sample. The pH was measured at 6.71, the distillation range was between 78 oC-100oC, the flash point was also obtained as 24oC.The results showed that cassava peel starches can be readily degraded by A. N. The bio-ethanol produced was comparable with ethanol.