1. Conversion of Cellulose into Ethanol
Morgan Fraley1, Ezrie Brant2
Advised by: Alexandra B. Ormond1, Ph.D.
1Meredith College, Raleigh, NC; 2Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Raleigh, NC
Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Geoscience, Meredith College, Raliegh, NC
Abstract
Background
• Ethanol can be generated from paper waste by converting
the paper into sugar (a process called saccharification) and
then fermenting the sugar
• Bioethanol is an alternative to gasoline that is produced
from cellulose
• Bioethanol generated from paper-based products is
favorable because there is no competition with the human
food chain as with bioethanol generated from sugar
feedstock
• Bioethanol generated from paper based products is also
much cheaper than bioethanol generated from sugar
feedstock.
Reaction Scheme
Materials
Materials Quantity
98% Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4) 25 mL
50% NaOH 300 mL
Enzyme 0.5 g
Urea 0.15 g
Sucrose 5 g
Yeast 1 g
Saccharified Paper Product 5 g
Procedure
Saccarification
using either
H2SO4 or an
enzyme
Step 1
Fermentation
using yeast,
urea, and
sucrose
Step 2
Distillation of
ethanol
product
Step 3
Testing via
HOC and
FTIR
Step 4
Results
Source Treatment:
AH=Acid
Hydrolysis
EH=Enzymatic
Hydrolysis
Amount
Recovered
(g)
Density
(g/mL)
HOC (˚C)
Paper AH 7.336 0.970 99
Paper EH 18.918 0.957 100
Sugar
Crystals
Product from AH 14.755 0.917 101
Bread AH 8.389 0.895 98
Mulch AH 21.489 0.868 99
Mulch EH 10.109 0.877 100
Wood Chips AH 6.360 0.983 98
Wood Chips EH 18.887 0.985 100
Pine Straw AH 11.723 0.933 102
Pine Straw EH 9.794 0.948 100
Ethanol — — 0.789 105
Results
Conclusion
• Bioethanol was produced via saccarification and fermentation
of products containing glucose.
• Products contained high levels of water that were not
separated by distillation.
• Products needed to be dried with anhydrous Na2SO4 in order to
do a HOC test.
• The best source of ethanol, based on purity and quantity, was
mulch.
References
1. Li, Kang, et al. "Ethanol Production From The Mixture Of
Hemicellulose Prehydrolysate And Paper Sludge." Bioresources 7.3
(2012): 3607-3626. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
2. Wayman, M., Chen, S., and Doan, K. (1992) Bioconversion of Waste
Paper to Ethanol. Process Biochem. 27, 239-245.
3. Obeid, Zuhair, et al. "Aspects Of The Bioethanol Use At The
Turbocharged Spark Ignition Engine." Thermal Science 19.6 (2015):
1959-1966. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
4. Badger, P.C. 2002. Ethanol from cellulose: A general review. p. 17–
21. In: J. Janick and A. Whipkey (eds.), Trends in new crops and new
uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA.
Bioethanol is an alternative to gasoline that is produced from
cellulose. Ethanol is biodegradable, low in toxicity, and does
not cause environmental pollution. Bioethanol is an excellent
alternative to fossil fuels because it has excellent combustion
properties, which cause a reduction in carbon monoxide and
hydrocarbon emissions. The purpose of this study was to
convert cellulose products into bioethanol using two
hydrolysis mechanisms of saccharification followed by
fermentation. Five different sources of materials containing
high levels of cellulose were used. The generated bioethanol
was distilled and the products were analyzed using
techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
(FTIR), heat of combustion (HOC) tests, and density
measurements. The best source of ethanol production based
on these techniques was mulch.
Acknowledgments
• Jessie Ball duPont Religious, Charitable, and Educational Fund
• Chemistry, Physics and Geoscience Department
• Meredith College
• Dr. Perez-Heydrich, Dr. Winterhoff, Dr. Lilly
• Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy
Ethanol
Cellulose
Starch