Sugarcane bagasse (Gramineae Saccharum officinarum L.

) as a substance used for ethanol

biofuel production

Rojan Clarence B. Dicion

Rationale:

For centuries, we have been using fossil fuels as our primary source of energy. The
energy that we received from fossil fuels was a fundamental driver of the Industrial Revolution,
and the technological, social, economic and development progress which has followed. A large
portion of the world’s fossil fuels has led to concerns about the risk of these reserves becoming
“stranded assets,” and creating a dangerous “carbon” bubble1.

Then, the problem about air pollution rises. The sources of primary air pollutants in the
Philippines are 1.) Hydrocarbons and Carbon monoxide from the incomplete burning of fossil
fuels, 2.) Tobacco smoke, and 3.) Particulates, Sulphur Dioxide, and Nitrogen compounds from
the complete burning of fossil fuels. Heart attacks, respiratory diseases, and lung cancer are all
significantly higher in people who breathe dirty air compared to matching groups in cleaner
environments (Cunningham, et al 2005). Hundreds of deaths have been directly related to poor
air quality in cities 2.

Biofuels represent a wide range of fuels which are in some way derived from biomass.
The wide definition of biofuels covers solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases. The
carbon emissions and reduction of Greenhouse gases (GHG) are the leading environmental
considerations related to biofuels. Their effect on water supplies is also a very important
environmental aspect of biofuels. While an increased use of biofuels may lead to a higher
demand for water resources both during the production of biofuel feedstock and during their
processing, there is also a question of water pollution. Here, a danger of small scale water
pollution from biofuel feedstock may be compared with a danger of a large scale or an accident-
related water pollution caused by the production of fossil fuels3.

1
1. Richard Heede, Naomi Oreskes
Climate Accountability Institute, 1626 Gateway Road, Snowmass, Colorado, 81654 USA Department of
Earth and Planetary Sciences Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
"Potential emissions of CO2 and methane from proved reserves of fossil fuels: An alternative analysis".
2
2 "Human Health and Wellbeing: Human health effect of air pollution"
Nurul Ashikin Bte Mabahwi, Oliver Ling Hoon Leh, Dasimah Omar
Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Technology MARA, 40450 Shah Alam,
Malaysia
3
"Biofuels: policies and impacts"
Karel Jand, Ladislav Kristoufek David Zilberman
1Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California,
Berkeley, USA, 2Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic,3University of
Economics, Prague, Czech Republic
4Center for Economic Research & Graduate Education – Economics Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
5Institute of Information Theory and Automation, Academy of Sciences
of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
Research Question

1. How effective is sugarcane bagasse (Gramineae Saccharum officinarum L.) as a

substance used for ethanol biofuel production in terms of heat output (flame size)?
2. What is the correlation between the sugar and starch content of a material such as
sugarcane and its compatibility as an ethanol biofuel producer?

Hypotheses

Research Hypothesis:

The heat output by sugarcane bagasse ethanol, when tested, will be larger than that of the
heat output by a fossil fuel source, such as a gas tank, due to it being

Null Hypothesis:

There is no correlation between the sugar and starch content of a bio-material like
sugarcane its effectiveness an biofuel producer.

Expected Outcomes

The student researcher expects that sugarcane bagasse (Gramineae Saccharum

officinarum L.) is an effective substance used for ethanol biofuel production in terms of heat
output (flame size). The student researcher also expects that the greater the sugar and starch
content of material, the more effective it will be as a biofuel producer.