ID :
10422
Fri, 06/20/2008 - 13:36
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/10422
The shortlink copeid
UNTAN RESEARCHERS STUDYING WAYS TO MAKE BIOFUEL FROM BANANA
Pontianak, June 20 (ANTARA) - A team of researchers at Tanjungpura University (UNTAN)'s Renewable Energy Studies Center here have conducted successful preliminary studies and experiments on the use of bananas (Musa Paradisica, Lynn) as feedstock to produce biofuel, according to the team's leader.
"Our preliminary studies have shown two bunches or about two kilograms of
banana can yield one liter of ethanol with an alcohol content of about 90
percent," the head of the center, Dr Eng M Ismail Yusuf MT, said.
The basic principle used in the studies was that banana can produce glucose
which is the main element in ethanol.
A certain quantity of banana was first mashed until it turned into a juice.
Cellulose , the main carbohydrate synthesized by plants, is present in banana in
the form of polysaccharide which will dissolve into a simple molecule, namely
glucose, when heated through a special procedure.
"The glucose content in banana is higher than in cassava, rice and glutinous
rice because the process of its formation is shorter," Yusuf said.
Yusuf and two of his colleagues, M Ahdiat ST and Afghani Jayuska M Si, had
experimented with banana to make ethanol for two years before conducting their
studies with greater focus.
The glucose from banana usually still has a high water content necessitating it
to be heated to reduce the water content. Then, the glucose is fermented with
bacteria after which the resulting water and alcohol are separated.
In an experiment conducted in front of the office of the Tanjungpura
University's rector on Thursday, ethanol extracted from banana was poured into a
small bowl and successfully ignited.
Yusuf said Ahdiat had also used a mixture of banana-based ethanol and premium
gasoline to fuel a motor-cycle and the vehicle proved to be operable without any
significant hindrance.
But Yusuf also said the use of banana to make ethanol still needed to be further
studied , especially in terms of economic scale and processing method.
Yusuf who obtained his doctorate in renewable energy from Toyohashi University
in Japan said the banana species used in the studies was not one usually
consumed by the public so that its large-scale use would not affect the normal
banana market. Indonesia is producing about 2.1 million tons of banana per year.
Yusuf said he hoped the banana-based ethanol could be further researched so that
it could eventually replace kerosene. However, he and his team were facing
financial constraints to do further research. The studies and experiments they
had done so far were financed with funds from their own pockets, he said.
"Our preliminary studies have shown two bunches or about two kilograms of
banana can yield one liter of ethanol with an alcohol content of about 90
percent," the head of the center, Dr Eng M Ismail Yusuf MT, said.
The basic principle used in the studies was that banana can produce glucose
which is the main element in ethanol.
A certain quantity of banana was first mashed until it turned into a juice.
Cellulose , the main carbohydrate synthesized by plants, is present in banana in
the form of polysaccharide which will dissolve into a simple molecule, namely
glucose, when heated through a special procedure.
"The glucose content in banana is higher than in cassava, rice and glutinous
rice because the process of its formation is shorter," Yusuf said.
Yusuf and two of his colleagues, M Ahdiat ST and Afghani Jayuska M Si, had
experimented with banana to make ethanol for two years before conducting their
studies with greater focus.
The glucose from banana usually still has a high water content necessitating it
to be heated to reduce the water content. Then, the glucose is fermented with
bacteria after which the resulting water and alcohol are separated.
In an experiment conducted in front of the office of the Tanjungpura
University's rector on Thursday, ethanol extracted from banana was poured into a
small bowl and successfully ignited.
Yusuf said Ahdiat had also used a mixture of banana-based ethanol and premium
gasoline to fuel a motor-cycle and the vehicle proved to be operable without any
significant hindrance.
But Yusuf also said the use of banana to make ethanol still needed to be further
studied , especially in terms of economic scale and processing method.
Yusuf who obtained his doctorate in renewable energy from Toyohashi University
in Japan said the banana species used in the studies was not one usually
consumed by the public so that its large-scale use would not affect the normal
banana market. Indonesia is producing about 2.1 million tons of banana per year.
Yusuf said he hoped the banana-based ethanol could be further researched so that
it could eventually replace kerosene. However, he and his team were facing
financial constraints to do further research. The studies and experiments they
had done so far were financed with funds from their own pockets, he said.
