Ethanol Production: Corn versus Potatoes

By: Dawn Kelly and Mike Karwoski

November 26, 2013

Abstract:
The United States is one of the most dependent countries in the world on fuel and energy.
As technology has advanced overtime, there has been a need for the use of fossil fuels and
natural resources to make machinery and other operations work at the highly efficient pace that
we need to produce goods at a rapid pace. As the world faces serious global warming issues,
alternate solutions to fuel and energy will be needed and scientists have already begun extensive
research into the matter. Today, corn is a main component to produce ethanol and use it in the
production of more environmentally safe fuel. In this experiment, our goal was to see if a
different food source would be a sufficient producer of ethanol. The foods used for this
experiment were the brown potato and the sweet potato. Through creating the solutions,
monitoring them and weighing them over an eight day period, several conclusions were able to
be made. First, it was determined that the sweet potato produced more ethanol than the brown
potato by almost double. Second, the cost to produce ethanol from the potatoes compared to the
cost of production from corn would be more expensive. Through performing various
calculations, it was determined that the cost of corn would be the most cost efficient to produce
ethanol. Potatoes may be a source of additional ethanol production but, could not be the top
contender.





Introduction
A. According to the Free Dictionary, renewable is a term used to describe items that can be
renewed; they are inexhaustible or replaceable by new growth. Renewable fuels are fuels that are
produced from renewable resources, which include biofuels (ex: vegetable oil used as fuel,
ethanol) and hydrogen fuels. Renewable fuels can include fuels that are produced through
renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Renewable fuels have gained much
popularity as of late because they have high levels of sustainability, they have low contributions
to the carbon cycle, and for the most part contain and produce lower amounts of greenhouse
gasses.
B. Biofuels are fuels that are produced from renewable biological resources, such as plant
biomass and treated municipal and industrial waste. Biofuels are considered neutral fuels
because the amount of carbon dioxide that is produced from burning them is balanced or
cancelled out by the absorption of the plants grown to produce them. An additional example of a
biofuel aside from ethanol is bio alcohol, which is a fuel made from starch from wheat, corn and
sugar cane.
C. Biofuels are in fact renewable, which make them different from most other natural energy
resources. They are renewable because the process to produce them is ongoing, which means
that it can basically be controlled. We can regrow and plant more trees, sewage and other wastes
can be converted into methane, and oils and various alcohols can be produced from various
plants, which once again can be re-grown. When burnt, the biofuels return the carbon dioxide
back to the original vegetation that it was produced from.
D. Ethanol is used as a gasoline additive for a couple of reasons, the first being that it helps to
oxygenate gasoline, which results in the fuel being burned more completely and produce much
cleaner emissions, which proves that ethanol in gas has obvious benefits for better air quality.
The next reason for ethanol being used as an additive in gasoline is that when MTBE, methyl
tert-butyl ether, was discovered to be pretty harmful when it was contaminating water, ethanol
seemed to be a much safer replacement. The high degree of agriculture in the United States
helped to push this movement in the rapid production of corn to be used in the making of
ethanol.
E. There are a few advantages that go along with the use of ethanol. As previously stated it is a
much safer alternative in comparison to MTBE, in the sense that it does not do the same type of
environmental damage, particularly to water supplies. Also, ethanol is a relatively low costing
fuel. Ethanol is generally good for the environment as well in the sense that when used as fuel it
produces lower carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions. Ethanol is also widely available
and continues to become more prominent as we work towards cleaning up the environment.
Lastly, the use of ethanol is good for the economy. The production of ethanol supports the farm
system and creates domestic jobs in the United States, which reduces the dependence on the U.S.
on foreign countries for our oil supply. Overall, ethanol has many benefits and advantages that
are highly beneficial not only to the environment, but as you can see the economy as well.
F. There are several disadvantages to using ethanol as a fuel or fuel additive. First, ethanol has a
lower combustion temperature than petroleum. Secondly, since corn in particular is a major
source of ethanol, it takes up a large amount of land to produce the amount of crops not only
needed for the production of ethanol but for food sources still. This could lead to problems such
as soil erosion or deforestation. Another disadvantage to using ethanol is that other
environmental issues could occur from disposing the waste of fermentation liquors. Additionally,
as vehicles change and advance over time, more modern engines require higher concentrations of
ethanol. One specific type of ethanol, E85, which is an 85% ethanol and 10% gasoline, has
several disadvantages. First, it can only be used in certain kinds of vehicles, which means all
vehicles still wont be using this environmentally friendly fuel. Secondly, it gives vehicles fewer
miles to the gallon, which means more frequent up of the gas tank and more spending on the part
of the driver. Thirdly, it has limited availability and is expensive to produce. The cost of
producing ethanol from corn is about $45 dollars from 1 bushel of corn alone, while the
production of ethanol from brown potatoes would be about $22 dollars and sweet potatoes would
cost about $28 dollars. This clearly shows that there are more cost efficient solutions in different
food items, however, not as much ethanol could be produced from the potatoes compared to the
corn.
G. The use of ethanol and other biofuels relates to the topic of global warming by the influence
of pollution that they have on the environment. There is a lot of energy required with growing,
producing, delivering, and using biofuels. Since corn is a main source of ethanol, it has
significant impacts on environment. A large amount of fossil fuel is needed for farm operations,
processing and distilling, and fertilizer production. Fertilizers for corn can generate a large
amount of nitrous oxide which is a strong global warming pollutant. Any unused fertilizer can
decompose into the ground and damage the soil. Additionally, there are many other risks to the
environment with the production of ethanol. It could destroy habitats which would greatly affect
wildlife; it could damage air and water quality, limit food production, and jeopardize the long-
term sustainability of the biofuel resource itself. Clearly there are quite a few consequences to
the production and use of ethanol that needs to be fixed before this fuel alternative can really be
considered a completely environmentally safe product.
H. There are two different processes through which ethanol is produced. The first process is dry
milling, in which the corn kernel, or other starchy grain, is ground into flour. Next, water is
added and the components form a mash. Enzymes are then added to the mash substance to
change the starch to a simple sugar. Ammonia is added for pH control and as a food for the
yeast. The mash is then processed in a high temperature cooker to reduce bacteria. After this and
the mash has cooled, the mash is transferred to fermenters where yeast is added, marking the
beginning of the conversion process of sugar to ethanol and carbon dioxide. This process takes
about 40 to 50 hours, so it is quite lengthy.
I. In our opinion, ethanol produced from corn should be used as a fuel or fuel additive. When
looking at the advantages, it seems that overall using corn to create ethanol would make the most
sense financially as well as be the safest for the environment. Ethanol and its production do not
harm various water sources as other productions of ethanol might. It also emits lower carbon
monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions, which can be harmful to the Earth as well as humans.
In a country like the United States, the economy is always fluctuating and evolving. Cost
efficiency plays a role in the production of just about any type of product. The United States is
also very dependent on fuels to power cars and other machinery. In particular, with vehicles it is
very important that the production of fuel is efficient and safe for the environment since so many
people own and drive vehicles on a daily basis. In relation to jobs in the economy, using corn to
produce ethanol supports the farming industry and supports the creation of domestic jobs. This is
a product that the United States does not have to rely on importing from another country because
we can produce it on our own land. Although there are some disadvantages to using corn as a
producer of ethanol, we believe that the benefits outweigh the costs and negative aspects.
J. Our hypothesis is as stated: Using corn to produce ethanol is more cost efficient and
environmentally safer than producing ethanol through other methods. For this research project,
we will be using different food products to produce ethanol and see how their levels of ethanol
compare to the ethanol produced from corn. First, the solution will be created. Then, the solution
with different foods in it will sit for a period of eight days and the mass (g) will be measured
every day to see if there will be any changes. After the eight day period, this data will be
analyzed and conclusions will be draw as to how the data relates to ethanol production and which
foods would be most viable and cost efficient in producing ethanol.

K. References:
Farlex, Inc. (2013). The Free Dictionary by Farlex. Retrieved from
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/renewable
Renewable Fuel Association. (2013). How ethanol is made. Retrieved from
http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pages/how-ethanol-is-made
Schiller, M. (2013). Advantages and disadvantages of ethanol use. Retrieved from
http://www.easychem.com.au/production-of-materials/renewable-ethanol/advantages-
and-disadvantages-of-ethanol-as-a-fuel
Union of Concerned Scientists. (2007). Clean vehicles. Retrieved from
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/smart-transportation-
solutions/cleaner_fuels/ethanol-and-other-biofuels/the-truth-about-ethanol.html










Experimental Method
As we conducted the experiment there were various materials that we used including:
sweet and brown potatoes (100 grams of each), a 250 ml beaker, a 500 ml Florence flask, 100 ml
of tap water, a set of test tubes, and a Bunsen burner. The chemicals that were used in the
experiment were 2 milliliters of a 1% starch solution, 2 milliliters of a 1% glucose solution,
iodine solution, 10 milliliters of amylase solution, 35 milliliters of buffer solution, 15 milliliters
of amyloglucosidase solution, and 10 milliliters of the yeast solution.
The procedure itself was fairly easy, but required careful measurements and mixing of the
various chemicals. We started off by weighing out 100 grams of both brown and sweet potato
chunks and placing them into the 500 ml Florence flask that contained 100 ml of tap water. We
then heated that mixture for 10 minutes using the Bunsen burner. While we were letting our
mixtures heat, we took 2 test tubes and in one of them put in 2 ml of a 1% starch solution and in
the other put 2ml of a 1% glucose solution followed by 6 drops of the iodine solution into each
test tube. Upon putting the iodine solution into the solutions, the starch became a deep blue
color and the glucose became a reddish-yellow color. After the 10 minutes was up from heating
our potato and water mixture, we added an additional 100 ml of water into it. From there we
took 2 ml of the liquid in the Florence flask and placed it in an empty test tube. We then added 6
drops of the iodine solution to these test tubes and they began to change to the deep blue color,
indicating that starch is the main component in the potatoes. After doing this, we added 10
milliliters of the amylase solution to the mixture of potatoes in the Florence flask. We
thoroughly mixed that up and let it sit for about 10 minutes before we added in 35 milliliters of
the buffer solution, 15 milliliters of the amyloglucosidase solution, and 10 milliliters of the yeast
solution, all of which we thoroughly mixed in as well. From here we placed a one hole stopper
in the top of our Florence flask and covered it with plastic wrap and secured it with a rubber
band. We then weighed our final product and placed it aside at room temperature and everyday
continued to weigh the solution to discover that it was gradually weighing less each day. We
concluded that a large amount of starch is present in both the sweet and brown potatoes and
emerged when the enzymes were added. The blank produced .22 grams of carbon dioxide.
413.48-413.26 =.22 The amount of carbon dioxide produced from the brown potato was 3.69
grams. 493.2-(489.29+.22) =3.69g. The amount of carbon dioxide released from the sweet
potato was 6.37 grams. 480.5-(473.91+.22) =6.37g. The amount of carbon dioxide produced
from the corn was 9.85 grams. The amount of ethanol produced form the corn was 10.3 grams
and it will cost 17 cents to produce 1 gram of ethanol from corn. The amount of ethanol
produced from the brown potato was 3.91 grams and the sweet potato produced was 6.59 grams.
It will cost about 39 cents to produce 1 gram of ethanol from the brown potato and about the
same 39 cents to produce 1 gram of ethanol from the sweet potato. In comparison, producing the
ethanol form corn would be cheaper, since it costs 17 cents to produce 1 gram of ethanol from it
compared to the 39 cents that it would cost to produce 1 gram of ethanol from the potatoes.





















Data Summary
For this experiment, the foods used were a brown potato and a sweet potato. The cost of the
brown potato was $0.39/lb. and the smaller sweet potato was $0.49/lb. Only 100g of each food
were used for this experiment. For 100g of the brown potato, the cost is $0.09/100g. The sweet
potatos cost would be $0.11/100g. The potatoes were weighted over an eight day period to
obtain the final mass of the ethanol produced. The following table shows the changes over the
eight day period for the potatoes:
Time (days) Brown Potato (g) Sweet Potato (g)
11/07 493.2 480.5
11/08 492.68 476.76
11/09 492.51 474.91
11/10 490.37 474.53
11/11 489.88 474.20
11/12 489.73 474.15
11/13 489.55 474.04
11/14 489.29 473.91

For the corn, the cost is $0.79/lb. For 100g, the cost of corn would be $0.15. The following is
the data for the corn:
Weight Data for Corn (100 g) and Blank, Fall 2013

Day Corn (g) Blank (g)
11/7 552.41 413.48
11/8 551.81 413.36
11.9 547.84 413.33
11/10 545.16 413.31
11/11 544.41 413.31
11/12 543.85 413.30
11/13 553.46 413.26
11/14 542.74 413.2

















Results
The results of this experiment show that the changes in mass from both potatoes
produced a certain amount of ethanol the brown potatoes produced 3.91g of ethanol and the
sweet potatoes produced 6.59g of ethanol. In terms of the potatoes, the sweet potato would be the
one that could produce a more efficient amount of ethanol. Carbon dioxide emissions also
contribute to the weight change over the eight day period. The mass of the carbon dioxide
produced was. However, when looking at cost, the sweet potato would be more expensive at
$0.11/100g compared to the brown potato at $0.09/100g. As it can be seen from the graph, there
is a decrease in the mass over the eight day period. This suggests that the production of ethanol is
occurring.
Time (days) Brown Potatoes (g) Sweet Potatoes(g)
7-Nov 493.2 480.5
8-Nov 492.68 476.76
9-Nov 492.51 474.91
10-Nov 490.37 474.53
11-Nov 489.88 474.2
12-Nov 489.73 474.15
13-Nov 489.55 474.04
14-Nov 489.29 473.91

Conclusions and Recommendations
In conclusion to our experiment, we determined that potatoes do in fact slowly produce
ethanol. Over the eight day span that we weighed our potato mixtures we saw that brown
potatoes produced 3.91g of ethanol while sweet potatoes produced 6.59g. However, in terms of
cost producing ethanol from potatoes would be more expensive than corn. For the brown potato,
the cost would be $0.023 to produce ethanol and the cost of the sweet potato would be $0.016.
The cost for corn to produce ethanol is $0.015. Therefore, corn would still be the cheapest food
product to produce ethanol. Also, the United States is known for its corn production and already
has the land for it. To start mass producing potatoes to produce ethanol could also add to the
cost. Using potatoes for ethanol production could be used as a source but, it would not be able to
be a main producer of ethanol. We would recommend this as an option for production however;
it ultimately is not on the same production level as corn in terms of amount or cost.



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Mass (g)
Time (days)
Change in Mass (g)
Brown Potatoes
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Sweet Potatoes
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References
Farlex, Inc. (2013). The Free Dictionary by Farlex. Retrieved from
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/renewable
Renewable Fuel Association. (2013). How ethanol is made. Retrieved from
http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pages/how-ethanol-is-made
Schiller, M. (2013). Advantages and disadvantages of ethanol use. Retrieved from
http://www.easychem.com.au/production-of-materials/renewable-ethanol/advantages-
and-disadvantages-of-ethanol-as-a-fuel
Union of Concerned Scientists. (2007). Clean vehicles. Retrieved from
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/smart-transportation-
solutions/cleaner_fuels/ethanol-and-other-biofuels/the-truth-about-ethanol.html











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Weight Change vs. Time for Corn and Blank
Corn (g)
Blank (g)