Ethanol Production from Fruit and Vegetable Waste: A Sustainable Approach for Resource Recovery

Abstract

Fruit and vegetables waste are a promising feedstock for production of ethanol have garnering significant attention due to its potential and environmentally sound energy source including reducing waste sent to landfills, providing a source of renewable energy, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. In this study, fruit wastes from orange, pomegranate, and papaya, as well as vegetable wastes from potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots, were selected as feedstocks for ethanol production. Orange, pomegranate, and papaya wastes exhibited the highest concentrations of fermentable sugars, followed by tomato and carrot wastes. The fermentation of these feedstock using appropriate microorganisms resulted in the production of ethanol with yields ranging from 25 to 50%. The analysis of ethanol performance results showed that orange, pomegranate, papaya, and potato samples were within allowable range whereas tomato and carrot samples were above the allowable range. Moreover, the purified ethanol used in the experiment was clear and colourless. This paper conclude that fruit and vegetable waste represent a promising feedstock for ethanol production showing the highest potential for ethanol production. However, further research is required to optimize fermentation processes and address challenges of using these feedstock and processing for scalable ethanol production.