Ethanol from Watermelons?

Bioethanol, as you all know is the talk of the ‘green’ town these days and everyone’s trying to figure out a way to make it. Cane crops like corn, sorghum and sugarcane have already been recruited for this purpose. The latest addition to that list is watermelons!

Why watermelons?

Yes, it’s juicy, it’s sweet, it’s a summertime treat! And it’s those simple sugars in watermelon like glucose, fructose and sucrose that can be used to make ethanol as a biofuel through fermentation.

So what about the feasibility?

That’s the first thing people usually ask when the talk is about alternative energy sources and biofuel. 20 pounds of watermelon can produce 1.4 pounds of sugar on average and this can yield seven-tenths of a pound of ethanol. Every year close to 20% of the watermelon harvest is left in the fields due to external blemishes or deformities. All this can be utilized in the production of biofuel as a cleaner-burning alternative to gasoline.

Who is responsible?

Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Lane, Oklahoma.

Anything else I should know about?

There is ongoing research to find out methods to extract lycopene and citrulline, two compounds known to have cardiovascular and other health benefits, from watermelons on a commercial scale and also to extract the maximum amount of sugar from watermelons by degrading the rind with chemicals and enzyme treatment.

via: ScienceDaily