Bioethanol made from muskmelon (Cucumis melo) peels as an alternative fuel

Abstract

In order to decrease the dependency on fossil fuels, bioethanol has been discovered as an alternative fuel source. Bioethanol that is produced from waste sources are one of the promising fuels in the future that will lessen the environmental problems such as to evade the formation of greenhouse gases in atmosphere and controlling the waste disposal system by utilizing the wastes into beneficial product. Therefore, the goal of this study is to determine the ability and efficiency of muskmelon peels in production of bioethanol as an alternative fuel by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast in the fermentation process. Muskmelon peels has a great potential as substrate owing to its wide availability, economical and contains mixture of carbohydrates such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose that can be utilized during fermentation culture. The process for producing bioethanol includes the preparation of muskmelon peels, fermentation, sterilization, distillation and condensation. The produce bioethanol was compared to the characteristic of pure ethanol such as colour of the soot, flame and solution as well as pH value, and odour. The burning test of the bioethanol revealed that the flame had medium size of orange-bluish colour with no smoke. The solution was colorless with pH 7.52 and had a strong fruity smell. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis confirms the existence of ethanol in the produced bioethanol, showing its potential to be developed as a substitute for fossil fuels.