Possibility of Producing Ethanol from Moringa Oleifera Pod Husk

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is a plant with various benefits to mankind from its root until leaves. From food to biofuel applications, all parts are useful for daily uses. In this research, the pod husk was examined to determine the possibility of producing ethanol. The pod husks were dried and used in two forms; one is grinded into powder, and the other is cut within 5 x 5 x 2 mm. About 10 grams of Moringa oleifera pod husk was put into a conical flask and added with distilled water up to 250 mL. The pre-treatment was made by adding an alkaline solution, NaOH, where the pH of the sample was adjusted to (4.5, 5.0, and 5.5) using H2SO4. The samples were autoclaved at a temperature of 120°C for 2 hours before the samples were cooled to room temperature (25+/-2oC). Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was prepared with different concentrations (1g, 5g, and 10g) and added to the samples for fermentation process that took place in the incubator shaker at a temperature of 36°C, for a period of 72 hours. The bioethanol concentration was measured using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with a refractive index detector and REZEX ROA-Organic Acid HPLC Column using 0.05 N H2SO4 as the mobile phase. The bioethanol produced from Moringa oleifera pod husk was 8.400 g/L using 1g/L yeast, and the fermentation took place at pH 4.5 for the sample size of 5 x 5 x 2 mm. The results showed that Moringa oleifera pod husk can be introduced as a new material for bioethanol production in Malaysia and other tropical countries where this tree is available.