Build Your Own Second-Generation Bioethanol Plant in the Classroom!

The production of bioethanol from cellulosic waste is described. The experiment is suitable for students in secondary school classroom settings and leads to bioethanol in a concentration high enough to burn the liquid. The experiment consists of three steps: (i) the cellulose of the waste material is converted to glucose by cellulase enzymes, (ii) the glucose-containing solution is fermented by baker’s yeast to a solution of approximately 5% ethanol, and (iii) the ethanol solution is subsequently distilled to yield an ethanol solution of at least 40%. All students obtained flammable end products and liked the realistic practice.