Research Project: Potatoes

Emily Gignac
Partners: Anna Speltz and Thomas Warner
12/11/2014

Abstract: There is a large impact that burning fossil fuels has on the environment. An
alternative to this problem is to create and use ethanol in place of gasoline to power
vehicles. Corn is commonly used in the production of ethanol, but the question arises if
there is a produce that provides a cheaper, more efficient sources of ethanol. This
problem was addressed in an experimental lab that tests the efficiency of sweet
potatoes, red potatoes, and golden potatoes to produce ethanol in comparison to corn.
The results show that potatoes provide less energy per gram of potato, and therefore
are more expensive to produce the same amount of ethanol as corn. This implies that in
general, potatoes are not as useful as a source of ethanol as corn.

Introduction:
Renewable energy is a common topic in society today, and for good reason. The
term renewable is defined as able to be replaced by nature. 1 Any substance that can
be used and made again from a natural process can be considered renewable. A
renewable fuel is defined by the EPA as those derived from renewable, non-petroleum
sources such as crops, animal waste, or municipal solid waste. 2 Renewable fuels
include a variety of different liquid and gas fuels.
Biofuels are slightly different than renewable fuels. They are defined as a fuel (as wood
or ethanol) composed of or produced from biological raw materials 3 Biomethanol and
biohydroen are two other biofuels used.
Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline additive because it can be mixed with gasoline
in any ratio. Since there is a worldwide shortage of oil, ethanol is also a way to reduce
the dependency on gasoline. Using ethanol in gasoline helps the fuel burn more
completely, and thus makes the emissions cleaner for the environment. It is also much
cheaper to produce and use ethanol than it is to attain pure gasoline.
There are many pros and cons associated with the use of ethanol. One of the
leading advantages is that it is a renewable source. Around the world, ethanol is created
from different plants. Sugar cane, beets, and corn are all used where plentiful to power
vehicles. In the United States, corn is the most popular source of ethanol. Since it can
1 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/renewable
2 http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/alternative-renewablefuels/index.htm
3 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biofuel

be regrown and produced each year, it is not as wasteful as drilling for oil. It also gives
more business to local farmers, and supports the farming industry. Ethanol is cheaper
than pure gasoline, making fuel more affordable to the public. The emissions from
ethanol-gas are also much cleaner in the air, helping the environment and reducing the
carbon footprint. However, there are some drawbacks to using ethanol. While it is
cheaper per gallon, it also burns quicker. Since alcohol boils faster than gasoline, it is
used up much faster. This makes for more frequent visits to the gas station. In reality, a
person might not save as much money as they think by using an ethanol-gas compared
to pure gasoline because they will have to buy it more frequently.
The use of ethanol is closely related to the topic of global warming. Because the
main cause of global warming is likely human activity, it is important to reduce those
activities as much as possible. By using ethanol instead of pure gasoline, the burning of
fossil fuels is lessened. Ethanol and gasoline produce roughly the same amount of CO2
emissions. However, Ethanol is a renewable resource. It can be produced as quickly as
it is used, and the process of growing corn reduces the amount of CO2 in the air by
process of photosynthesis. Corn absorbs CO2 and produces oxygen, decreasing the
overall amount of CO2 in the air. The production of petroleum based gasoline requires
drilling for oil, which is not a sustainable or renewable process. The burning of fossil
fuels creates large amounts of CO2 that are released into the air. This rise in CO2 levels
has been strongly linked to the gradual rise in temperature across the globe. The
Renewable Fuels Association states that using ethanol in place of gasoline helps to
reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 34% compared to gasoline. 4 Their
4 http://ethanolrfa.org/pages/ethanol-facts-environment

report also concludes that in 2013 alone, greenhouse gasses were reduced by 38
million metric tons from the use of ethanol. Ethanol is promoted as a better substitute for
gasoline because the process of making it causes a lesser amount of CO2 in the air
overall because of photosynthesis. Although Ethanol creates CO2, its process also
removes some of it from the air unlike the production of gasoline.
The first step in producing ethanol is to grind the corn (or other produce) into flour. This
process of grinding it into flour is called dry-milling. It is then fermented by a process
that includes mixing the flour with enzymes and heating the mixture in water. The
enzymes help to convert the starch into dextrose, a sugar. Enzymes work as a catalyst
to speed up the chemical reactions within the mixture. To balance the pH levels,
Ammonia is added. After it is cooled, yeast is added and it starts to form Carbon Dioxide
and Ethanol. The fermenting process takes about 50 hours, being mixed up regularly.
After it is all fermented, the ethanol is separated, concentrated, mixed with about 5% of
gasoline, and shipped to gasoline companies.5 Wet-milling is another process to create
ethanol. In this process, corn is steeped in water and sulfurous acid for one to two days,
then put through grinders to separate the components of the corn. The gluten is
separated and used for other purposes, like feeding livestock, and the starch and water
can be used to produce ethanol.
In my opinion, corn derived from ethanol should continue to be used as fuel. It gives a
lot of business to farmers, especially local Iowa farmers. Corn is a highly renewable
resource, and its growth also removes carbon dioxide emissions through
photosynthesis, making the air cleaner. This is supported by facts listed above. And
5 http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pages/how-ethanol-is-made

while you will have to fill up your tank more often, it is still cheaper to use ethanol than
pure gasoline.
My hypothesis in this experiment is that using potatoes will be less costly and
more efficient in producing ethanol. Potatoes are very high in both starch and sugar,
making them a suitable source of ethanol. I predict that the sweet potato will produce
the highest amount of ethanol, because it is the highest in sugar content. I predict that
the white potato will be the most cost effective, producing the greatest amount of
ethanol per dollar.

Experimental Method:
Materials: 100g sweet potatoes, 100g red potatoes, 100g golden potatoes, 3 500mL
Florence flasks, 600mL tap water, 1% starch solution, 1% glucose solution, iodine
solution, 30mL amylase solution, 105mL buffer solution, 45mL amyloglucosidase
solution, 30mL yeast solution, 8 test tubes, 3 mixing sticks, 3 Bunsen burners, 3 oneholed stoppers, scale weighing to the hundredths, plastic wrap, 3 rubber bands.
Procedure:
1. Weigh 100g of each kind of potato (red, golden, sweet). Add the cut potato to a
500mL Florence flask together with 100mL tap water, and heat for 10 minutes.
More water is added if the flask becomes too dry.
2. While the mixture is boiling take two test tubes and add 2mL of a 1% starch
solution to the first and 2mL of a 1% glucose solution to the second. Then add 6
drops of the iodine solution to each test tube. The addition of the iodine solution

should cause the starch solution to become deep blue and the glucose solution
to become redish-yellow. Set these test tubes aside to be used later in color
comparisons.
3. After the heating is completed, an additional 100mL of water is added to each
potato mixture. After mixing, 2mL of each liquid is taken and added to a test tube.
On adding 6 drops of the iodine solution to each test tube, a color develops that
was closer to the color that developed in the starch solution in part 1 of this
experiment than to the color that was found in the glucose solution. This
concludes that the potato mixture contains starch.
4. To each mixture of potatoes in the 500mL Florence flasks next add 10mL of the
amylase solution. After thoroughly mixing, and waiting for ten minutes, add 35mL
buffer solution, 15mL amyloglucosidase solution, and 10mL yeast solution to
each flask and mix.
a. Note: The enzyme amylase begins to break the starch molecules into
smaller fragments, while the amyloglucosidase enzyme begins to break
these smaller fragments into the glucose building blocks that make up the
starch molecules.
5. Take 2mL of each solution and place in a test tube. Add 6 drops of iodine solution
to each test tube. This time, the color that develops is closer to the redish-yellow
color that was found in the glucose solution in part 2 of this experiment than to
the color that was found in the starch solution.
6. A one-holed stopper is placed in the top of each flask with the potato mixtures,
and they are covered with a piece of plastic wrap that is secured with a rubber
band. The flasks are then identified with our names. Next, they are weighed and
the weight is recorded. Lastly, the flasks are set aside at room temperature until

the following week. During this time, the yeast will act upon the glucose
molecules to produce alcohol and release carbon dioxide gas.
Data Summary:
Cost of Materials:
Potatoes, (small brown) golden yellow Yucon, $0.39/lb
Potatoes, red, 0.39/lb
Potatoes, sweet, $0.49/lb
Weight Data:
DATE/TYPE

Sweet

Red

Yellow

Corn

Blank

11/6/14

508.47

542.68

509.61

550.34

412.32

11/7/14

508.51

542.64

509.63

547.26

412.30

11/8/14

508.53

542.07

509.62

545.61

412.30

11/9/14

503.26

540.76

506.92

544.65

412.29

11/10/14

502.39

540.46

506.19

541.34

412.29

11/11/14

502.15

540.26

505.85

541.22

412.28

11/12/14

502.02

540.15

505.61

540.79

412.26

11/13/14

501.88

540.02

505.37

540.66

412.25

11/14/14

501.79

539.95

505.19

540.27

412.25

Amounts of each potato added to the mixture:

Sweet Potato: 100.8g

Red Potato: 100.5g

Yellow Potato: 100.8g

Weight Change
600
500
400

Weight (g)

300
200
100
0
41949

41950

41951

41952

41953

41954

Date
Sweet

Red

Yellow

Corn

Weight (g) over each day- potato solutions, corn, and blank:
Discussion of Results:
Cost per 100g of produce:
Golden Yucon, $0.39/lb (100g)/453 = $0.086
Red, 0.39/lb (100g)/453 = $0.086
Sweet, $0.49/lb (100g)/453 = $0.11
Corn, $0.79/lb (100g)/453 = $0.17

Blank

41955

41956

41957

CO2 Levels:

Food

Golden

Red

Sweet

Corn

Blank

Starting

Yukon
509.61

542.68

508.47

550.34

412.32

Weight
Ending

505.19

539.95

501.79

540.27

412.25

Weight
Evaporation
Total

0.07
4.35

0.07
2.66

0.07
6.61

0.07
10.0

--0.07

Mass of Ethanol:
Equation: 44/46 = total change/x
Golden:
44/46 = 4.35/x
44x = 4.35(46)
X = 4.54 g
Red:
44/46 = 2.66/x
44x = 2.66(46)
X = 2.78 g

Sweet:
44/46 = 6.61/x
44x = 6.61(46)
X = 6.91 g
Corn:
44/46 = 10/x
44x = 10(46)
X = 10.45 g
Cost per gram of ethanol:
Golden Yukon: $0.086/100g = X/100.8g
X = 0.086 (100.8) / 100
X = $0.086 = cost for 4.54g ethanol
0.086 / 4.54 = $0.02 per g of ethanol
Red: $0.086/100g = X/100.5g
X = 0.086 (100.5) / 100
X = $0.086 =cost for 2.78g ethanol
0.086 / 2.78 = $0.03 per g of ethanol
Sweet: $0.11/100g = X/100.8g

X = 0.11 (100.8) / 100

X = $0.11 = cost for 6.91g ethanol
0.11 / 6.91 = $0.02 per g of ethanol
Corn: $0.17/100g
$0.17 = cost for 10.45 g ethanol
0.17 / 10.45 = $0.02 per g of ethanol

Conclusion:
From this lab, I learned that the total mass of the ethanol produced from corn is
much greater than that of any of the potatoes. While potatoes are a bit cheaper than
corn, the amount of potatoes needed to produce the same amount of ethanol is much
greater. Golden potatoes cost $0.09 to make 4.54 g of ethanol, red potatoes cost $0.09
to make 2.78 tons of ethanol, sweet potatoes cost $0.11 to make 6.91 g of ethanol, and
corn costs $0.17 to make 10.45 g of ethanol. This shows that corn costs a few more
pennies to make a lot more ethanol; it creates 3.54 to 7.67 more g of ethanol than
potatoes for only 6 to 8 more cents.
I recommend that potatoes are not used to create ethanol, as this experiment
shows they are not a more economical choice. There may be other sources other than
corn that would be better to use, but from this lab, corn can be seen as a better source
of ethanol than sweet potatoes, gold potatoes, or red potatoes.

Works Cited:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/alternative-renewablefuels/index.htm
http://www.ethanolrfa.org/
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biofuel
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/renewable