2015 Innovation & Commercialization of Medical Electronic Technology Conference (ICMET), 30 November 2015, Blue Wave Hotel, Shah
Alam, Malaysia
Identification Best Type of Banana Peel (Glucose
contain) to produce Bioethanol for the Development
of Biofuel (E85)
Abdullah Ahmad
Petrochemical Engineering Departament
Politeknik Kuching sarawak
Kuching, Sarawak.
abdullahjkm@poliku. edu. my
Tiyagu Sathivelu
Petrochemical Engineering Departament
Politeknik Kuching Sarawak
Kuching,Sarawak.
Tiyagu_13@yahoo.com
Sudasan Ravichandran
Petrochemical Engineering Departament
Politeknik Kuching Sarawak
Kuching,Sarawak.
darreldose@gmail. com
Abstract- Biofuel has been gaining momentum in terms of
research and development. Since there are various factors such
as recent rise in oil prices,support from government subsidies,
and growing concern about global warming make biofuel the
focal point of the public and researchers. The recent studies
has come out with a new method for the production of ethanol
using banana peel. Hence, this research study focuses on
optimizing the ethanol production from banana peel using
different type of banana peels that are widely available in
Malaysia. The findings of this study can be used as a basis for
comparison with other literature readings on the banana peel
ethanol production having different operating conditions and
parameters. For the first part of the experiment, the study will
focus on the different characteristics of banana peel especially
on type of banana that are widely available in Malaysia and
for the second part of the experiment, production of bio
gasoline from banana will be the main focus. It is expected
that different parameters such as temperature and yeast
concentration will affect the production of ethanol from
banana which can further be optimized using the Response
Surface Methodology method and finally
Chromatography test will be conduct to analysis the present of
ethanol and it's concentration in our samples.
Index Terms: Biofuel, Banana Peel, Ethanol, Different type of
Banana,Response Surface Methodology
978-1-4673-8799-6/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE
Kavitharan Rajandrin
Petrochemical Engineering Departament
Politeknik Kuching Sarawak
Kuching,Sarawak.
Alyssasyauwye23@gmail.com
Mohamad Shamal Rezza Mohd Roshd
Petrochemical Engineering Departament
Politeknik Kuching Sarawak
Kuching,Sarawak.
rizalazizahmad@yahoo. com
Zamri Yusoff
Petrochemical Engineering Departament
Politeknik Kuching Sarawak
Kuching,Sarawak.
Irmazai07@yahoo. com. my
I. INTRODUCTION
Being the highlight for this project, ethyl alcohol or easily
known as ethanol is a volatile,fl ammable,colorless liquid. It is
commonly used as a feedstock in chemical industry to make a
wide variety of products. It is also used in the automotive fuel
industry. Most of the automobiles manufactured in U. S. since
1998 have been manufactured with equipment that allow them
to run on E85. A mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.
The amount of harmful gases emission can also be reduced
with the uses of ethanol as fuel for motor vehicles. Banana is
one of the main feedstock for biofuels but banana peel which is
often thrown away also has a huge potential. This project
studies the different type of banana peels that are home grown
in Malaysia and fermentation conditions which further require
multiple test and analysis.
Biofuels are one of the alternative fuels developed and it is
a renewable energy. Other examples of renewable energies are
photovoltaic, wind, hydropower, and many more. Thus,
development of alternative energy might help in reducing the
problems related to the high demand of fossil fuels and
Gas depletion of the mineral oil reserves. Sustainable biofuels are
essential to ensure a constant, secure supply of energy for
individuals and industry.
Approximately one tons of wastes are produced for every
ten tons of bananas, made up of skins, leaves, and stems. The
banana fruit and its associated residual biomass can be
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 2015 Innovation & Commercialization of Medical Electronic Technology Conference (ICMET), 30 November 2015, Blue Wave Hotel, Shah Alam, Malaysia
converted into glucose which can be used as feedstock to
produce ethanol by fermentation and distillation,
Fermentation process of chemical change caused
organisms or their products and it is the oldest
biotechnological processes, This anaerobic process is able to
release energy from glucose even without the present of
oxygen,
Distillation is the separation of the constituents of a liquid
mixture by partial vaporization and subsequent condensation,
taking advantage of differences in volatility, The separation
process requires three things, A second phase must be formed
in order for both liquid and vapor phases to present and able to
contact each other on each stage within a separation column,
There are around 29,270 hectares of banana planted which
produce more than294, 530 metric tons of fresh banana in year
2012, Approximately tons of waste made up of skins, leaves,
and stems are produced for every ten tones of bananas, The
banana peel can be obtain in large scale from banana base
product company such as banana bread producing company
also can get from local banana crop suppliers. To avoid
wastage, this banana wastes can be turned into a new energy
source.
Objectives is to study which local banana peel produce
highest bio-ethanol in volume and concentration by conducting
Gas Chromatography test. After that to study the effect of
temperature and yeast concentration on ethanol production
from banana peel. Furthermore to determine the best parameter
optimize the ethanol production by using Response Surface
Methodology Method.
II. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Banana Characterization
Three types of bananas are selected which are Pisang Emas,
Pisang Musa SP and Pisang Tanduk. The whole banana is
peeled and peel is weighed. The samples are hand chopped,
sampled, and immediately frozen until analyzed.
components are tested for dry matter analysis and dry ashing
analysis using procedures in Standard Methods (APRA,
1992). Characteristics of the whole fruit are calculated as a
weighted average of the component parts based on their
fraction of the whole fruit. Steps 1 to 5 are repeated six times
for each type of banana.
Dry Matter Analysis
The empty container is weighed and recorded. The feed is
placed in the container. The total weight of container with feed
are measured and recorded. To determine the weight of feed
before drying, the weight of the container is subtracted from
the total weight. The feed is dried thoroughly. The container
and feed are weighed immediately after drying. To determine
the weight of feed after drying, the weight of the container is
subtracted from the total weight. The weight of dry feed is
divided by the weight of the wet feed. The results are
multiplied by 100 to get a percentage.
by Dry Ashing Analysis
of all The empty porcelain crucible is weighed and recorded. The
feed is placed in the porcelain crucible. The total weight of
feed and porcelain crucible are measured and recorded. To
determine the weight of feed before ashing, the weight of the
porcelain crucible is subtracted from the total weight. The
samples are transferred into the microwave and held at 250 °C
to 300 °C for 30 minutes. The porcelain crucible and feed are
weighed immediately after drying. To determine the weight of
feed after ashing, the weight of the porcelain crucible is
subtracted from the total weight. The weight of ashes is divided
by the weight of the feed before ashing. The results are
multiplied by 100 to get a percentage.
Extraction of Ethanol
Three conical flask are filled with 5 g mashed up banana
peel powder. 95 ml of distil water is measured and poured into
each of the conical flask. 6. 00 g of Active- Dry Yeast is added to
0 each conical flask and sealed with saran wrap. Three conical
flask is labelled A, B and C are left to be fermented for 4 days.
Three conical flask are distilled after 4 days. The obtained
ethanol are then distilled again for 15 minutes. The samples
obtained are tested for ethanol. Steps I to 8 are repeated using
different type of banana peel.
Hydrolysis of Banana
13g of banana peel is hand chopped and mashed with a
pastry cutter. The hand chopped banana peel are then
transferred into 20 separate polycarbonate baffle flasks. 87 g of
deionized water is added into the polycarbonate flask
containing the hand chopped peel banana. Sulphuric acid is
added at 0 M, 0. 25 M, 0. 5 M, and 0. 75 M. The solution are
transferred to an autoclave and held at 121 °C for 15 minutes.
The solution is filtered using vacuum filtration using coarse
filter paper. The hydrolysate is collected in receiver flask. The
sugars are analyzed using refractometer.
The
Preparation and Propagation of Yeast Cells
Dried yeast powder is added into a ISO ml Erlenmeyer
flask containing 50ml glucose yeast extract. The flask is held
on 100 rpm incubator at 30 °C for 48 hours. The mixture are
transferred into 250 ml Erlenmeyer Flask containing 100ml
glucose yeast extract broth.50 ml of prepared culture is
transferred into 1000 ml Erlenmeyer Flask containing 500 ml
of glucose yeast extract. The flask is held on 100 rpm incubator
at 30 °C for 24 hours. The cells are transferred to a 50 ml
centrifuge tube. The cells are centrifuged at 4 °C for 10
minutes.
Effect of temperature, pH and yeast inoculum on ethanol
production
Fermentation of banana peels was carried out at different
temperatures (20°C to 50°C) at pH 6 and at different pH (4 to
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 2015 Innovation & Commercialization of Medical Electronic Technology Conference (ICMET), 30 November 2015, Blue Wave Hotel, Shah Alam, Malaysia

7) at 30°C.The optimum temperature and pH obtained during is to indicate the present of ethanol component by calculating
the course of investigation was used for fermentation at the percentage of ethanol concentration.
different yeast concentration 3% to 12%.

Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) of

Banana peels Table 4. 2: Refractive Index of Ethanol
Ethanol fermentation was carried out in 200 ml flasks Volume of
Volume of Ethanol Distilled Water [Iurity of Ethanol (%) Refractive Index
containing 5g powdered banana peels in 95 ml distilled water. (ml) (ml)

The flasks were sterilized by using hot distil water at 121°C for 0 10 0 1.3326

30 min and a 4% (v/v) inoculum of Aspergillusniger(Yeast) 2 8 19 1.3392

4 6 38 1.3446
was added. Fermentation was done for4 days and the ethanol
6 4 57 1.3493
content was measured every 24 hours
R 2 76 1.35()7

10 0 95 1.3593

III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The resulted percentage of dry weight for the peel of the As calculated in Table 4.3, the peel of banana type B
bananas are tabulated in the graphs shown in Figure 4. 2. This (Pisang MUSA SP) which undergo 96 hours of fermentation
dry matter analysis is a method used to determine the total produced higher concentration of glucose. It is concluded that
major and trace element content in the banana peel. It measures higher concentration of glucose produced by Pisang MUSA
the mass of the bananas peel when it is completely dried. The SP.
dry matter of the bananas would be solids consist of all its
constituents except the water content. When the percentage of Table 4.3: Concentration of Glucose for Banana Peel
dry weight reached a steady point, it shows that there is no Refractive Index Concentration
Banana of Glucose
water left inside the banana peel and it was completely dried.
Peel A
As shown in the graph in Figure 4. 2, the percentage of dry 1.33629 0.47608
96 Hours
weight for peel of banana has reach a constant value after 5 B 1.33643 0.47711
runs of heating. This shows that the ratio of the water C 1.33637 0.47667
constituents are higher in the peel of banana.

90 Five different concentration of sulphuric acid of OM,

80 0.25M, 0.5M, 0.75M, and l. OM were used for the hydrolysis of
-Banana A
70
� -Banana B banana peel and analyzed using refractometer. Using the same
�60
�50 \. -BananaC formula to calculate the concentration of glucose from
C 40
\\
refractive index, the resulted concentration of glucose for three
j 30
\\
"'" samples of banana peel were tabulated in Table 4. 4. Based on
20
10 the Table 4. 4, sulphuric acid of concentration 1. 0 M produced
o the highest concentration of glucose for peel. We can clearly
o 10 15 20
see the trend where higher concentration of sulphuric acid were
No of Heating
able to produce higher concentration of glucose. As stated in
Figure 4. 2: Dry weight percentage versus heating
the methodology,the concentration of sulphuric acid producing
the highest glucose concentration will be used for the
The resulted percentage of dry weight for peel of the
secondary pre-treatment process.
bananas after undergo ashing process are tabulated in the
graphs shown in Table 4. 1. Similar to the dry matter analysis,
Table 4. 4: Concentration of Glucose for Peel of Banana
the peel of banana have higher percentage which shows higher Peel

ratio between the banana constituent and its water content. Sllmplc Refractive Index Concentration (%
(%H2S04) glucose)
Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Avcnlgc
(A) (B) (C)

Table 4. 1: Percentage of Banana Peel after Ashing 0.00 1.33476 1.33483 1.33477 1.33479 0.46505
0.25 1.33679 1.33677 1.33681 1.33679 0.47975
Banana A Banana B Banana C 0.50 1.33853 1.33858 1.33863 1.33858 0.49288
0.75 1.34004 1.34001 1.34007 1.34004 0.50360
Weight of Wet Peel (g) 9.6644 10.0132 10.0041 1.00 1.34147 1.34142 1.34145 1.34145 0.51392

Weight of Ash Peel (g) 0.3087 0.5120 0.4852

Percentage (01.,) 3.19 5.11 4.85 Table 4. 5: Gas chromatography test result
BANANA A BANANAB BANANAC
Ethanol content (PPM) 1202.19 18932.7 7685.56

The refractive indexes of different ethanol concentration Acetic Acid (PPM 31.78 22.33 23.42
Propionic Acid (PPM) 45.28 40.47 40.92
are shown. The sample used is in ratio of volume ethanol to
Butyric Acid (PPM) 10.83 7.96 7.93
distilled water. The significant of ethanol standard calibration

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 2015 Innovation & Commercialization of Medical Electronic Technology Conference (ICMET), 30 November 2015, Blue Wave Hotel, Shah Alam, Malaysia

proven, different parameters of temperature and yeast

concentration affect the production of ethanol from banana.
Other than that, the RSM successfully generate optimum
We identified that from the 3 banana that we chose to do condition of yeast concentration and temperature for both, the
this project with, Pisangmusa, Pisangemas and Pisangtanduk . pulp and peel of banana. The optimum yeast concentration and
The concentration of ethanol was very high in Pisangmusa temperature based on numerical optimization for production of
compare to other banana. We claimed that Pisang Musa has bioethanol from banana pulp is at 30°C and 0.10% w/v yeast
the most ethanol content and that is proven through our concentration while for peel is at 40°C and 0.10% w/v yeast
research at Craun Research Centre and University Malaysia concentration,respectively.
Sarawak based on Gas chromatography test. The produced
bioethanol was successful because we developed a biofuel
from 85% of bioethanol and 15% of gasoline and run it with ACKNOWLE DGMENT
engine at Mechanical Department. First and foremost, all praises goes to God the Almighty for
the strengths and His blessing in completing our Final Year
Table 4. 6: Biofuel consumption comparison Project. We believe everything has been planned carefully by
Him and we would not make it this far without Him. Special
ETHANOL E85 RON95 appreciation goes to my supervisor, Mr. Abdullah bin Ahmad,
TIME 3.51 min TIME 5.15min TIME 1.52min for his excellent supervision, guidance, patience and constant
INlTlAL VOLUME 67ml INlTlAL VOLUME 75ml INlTlAL VOLUME 75ml support. His invaluable help of constructive comments and
FINAL VOLUME 33ml FINAL VOLUME 50ml FINAL VOLUME 65ml suggestions throughout the semesters and project works have
FLOW RATE 9.68mllmin FLOW RATE 4.85ml/min FLOW RATE 6.57ml/min contributed to the success of our Final Year Project. We also
want to appoint our appreciation to Polytechnic Kuching
Table 4. 7: Biofuel performance comparison (POLlKU) for providing good facilities such as convenient

ETHANOL £()5 RON95 laboratory and good equipment to carry out the laboratory
experiment. Without the facilities, we believe that our project
RPM TORQU£ RPM TORQU£ RPM TORQU£
would not be success and not be able to complete within the
2050 0 1900 0.5 1400 0
time specified.
2000 0.5 1900 0.5 1400 o
Above all,we would like to also thank our beloved families
lWOO 0.5 1()50 0.5 1400 o
and friends for constantly giving us support, advices, and
1950 1 1()00 1 1350 0.5 guidance from the start of this fmal year project until the end.
1950 1 1100 1.5 1350 0.5 They were the one who was always there beside us and help us
1700 1.5 1550 2 1250 1 out in every way they could in the times of trouble. Last but not
1500 2.5 1400 :3 1200 a least a very special thanks to Dr. Nurleyna Yunus, who is a

1200 4 1100 5.5 1200 Downstream Technology Research HO D from Craun research
Sdn Bhd. has help us in carrying out Gas Chromatography test.
900 5 700 5 950 3.5

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 2015 Innovation & Commercialization of Medical Electronic Technology Conference (ICMET), 30 November 2015, Blue Wave Hotel, Shah Alam, Malaysia

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