BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM IPOMOEA BATATAS (SWEET POTATO) PEELS USING SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE
Keywords:
Ipomoea batatas, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, starch gelatinization,, fermentable sugars, bioethanol, hydrolysisAbstract
This research paper examined the fermentation of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) peels to produce bioethanol with the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the fermenting organism. Sweet potato peels are low-cost agricultural by-product that was evaluated as a fermentation feedstock. Proximate analysis of the peels revealed moisture (60.5%), ash (2.1%), lipid (0.5%), crude fibre (15%), protein (1.8%), and carbohydrate (20.1%) contents, confirming a starch-rich substrate suitable for bioethanol production. Pretreatment was done with 0.1 M NaOH and 10% H2SO4, followed by fermentation at room temperature under controlled pH (4.5–5.0) and distillation with a maximum temperature cap of 78°C. The fermentation process yielded 9.1% bioethanol (109.3 ml from 1,200 ml supernatant), with a boiling point of 78.6°C and pH of 3.0. These results are consistent with values reported in the literature, though the yield fell below the optimum range of 11.3–14.76 g/100 g, most likely due to inhibitory compounds from pretreatment and sub-optimal pH conditions. This study demonstrates the potential of sweet potato peels as a viable, cost-effective feedstock for bioethanol production.References
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