Impact of Storage Time, Rain and Quality of Molasses in the Production of Bioethanol

  • Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti Department of Chemical Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan
  • Manzoor-ul-haq Rajput Department of Chemical Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakisan.
  • Ghulamullah Maitlo Department of Chemical Engineering, Dawood University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Zulfiqar Ali Solangi Department of Chemical Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan
  • Ghulam Sarwar Shaikh Distillery Plant, Al-Abbas Sugar Mills Ltd, Mirwah Gorchani, Mirpurkhas, Pakistan.

Abstract

Due to environmental concerns and the rising prices of petroleum products, usually bio-ethanol is being produced in greater amount from sugar cane molasses in Pakistan. In this work various properties related to molasses are being analyzed by performing experiments at the Distillery Plant, AASML (AlAbbas Sugar Mills Limited), Mirpurkhas, Sindh, Pakistan. Brix, Sucrose, pH, ethyl alcohol, RS (Reducing Sugar), TSI (Total Sugar as an Invert), TS (Total Sugar), purity and presence of micro-organisms are scrutinized. In addition, the effects of quality parameters of pre-fermentation and fermentation for ethyl alcohol production, time impact on stored molasses and consequences of rain on quality of molasses are studied. It was observed from the study that good quality molasses which is the raw material for alcohol production should be used in fermentation process. Molasses must be stored in steel tanks to prevent it from contamination and loss of fermentable sugars. The prefermenters need to steam sterilized, cleaned and washed before inoculation of yeast cells so that the yeast grows healthy to produce maximum ethyl alcohol in fermenters. The water used for hydrolysis of molasses in fermentation should be clean, filtered and good quality nutrients must be used for the growth of yeasts. Finally, efficiency and yield are calculated and t-test has been performed to depict a direct relationship of the fermentable sugar with efficiency.

Published
Oct 1, 2019
How to Cite
BHATTI, Zulfiqar Ali et al. Impact of Storage Time, Rain and Quality of Molasses in the Production of Bioethanol. Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, [S.l.], v. 38, n. 4, p. 1021-1032, oct. 2019. ISSN 2413-7219. Available at: <https://publications.muet.edu.pk/index.php/muetrj/article/view/1247>. Date accessed: 29 mar. 2024. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.22581/muet1982.1904.14.
This is an open Access Article published by Mehran University of Engineering and Technolgy, Jamshoro under CCBY 4.0 International License