International Journal of Research in Engineering and Applied Sciences

Bio-ethanol is ethanol fuel (ethyl alcohol), the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a bio-fuel additive for gasoline. In the present research study, an attempt has been made to obtain a fuel grade ethanol using fruit samples like, Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis L.) and Cashew Apple (Anacardium occidentale L.) by fermenting them with the help of flocculating yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, L). As we could obtain 48% alcohol after distillation so we can envisage that an optimized concentration of ethanol can be obtained after standardization of the protocol. This bio-ethanol can be used as bio-fuel. As this process is cost effective, much cleaner, ecofriendly and do not yield any toxic residues or gases; so a common man can develop this technique and can produce it in an industrial level. The present technological attributes of flocculated Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that enhance its use in alcoholic fermentation, they produce bio-ethanol in the selected fruit cultivars at significant extent in a speed about three to four times greater than the yield reported in the earlier studies. Among the samples evaluated for the yield of ethanol, sample-4 (Passion fruit juice) gave 100% purity of ethanol as compared to standard.