SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND MECHATRONICS ENGINEERING

The Group Report

DESIGN OF AN ETHANOL PRODUCTION PLANT

Submitted To

ENGR. MAURICE O. LICDAN

Instructor

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Course

ME 4221L: INDUSTRIAL PLANT ENGINEERING LABORATORY

3662 4:30-7:30 PM M H601A

By:

Group 4

ANG, RYKER SETH

ATOLBA, MARSHAL DALUYEN
BALUSDAN, DAN BAS-ILEN
LOPEZ, JUSTIN TROY A.
QUIMSON, MARJUN

BS ME IV

6 APRIL 2024
 I. Plant Location

Bugias, Benguet

The location was chosen because there were many nearby farms, it has a cool
climate good for raising crops (carrot), and it is also considered near La Trinidad, Benguet,
where they drop their crops, which gives the farmer a substitute for their crops that can’t be put
to market to be sold. The reason why in Bugias, too, was because of a common problem that
we can see: farmers are losing when it comes to selling their crops, which costs them gasoline,
packaging, and the people they hire. And as well to combat wastage of the crops.

II. Why Carrot?

The carrot is an available-grown vegetable in our region (CAR). Most inhabitants
of the region (CAR) are involved directly in agricultural activities for their livelihood.

Mountain Province produced 10,712.6 MT of crops during the first semester of

2018 This was 4.6% of the regional crop production. The province’s crop production increased
by 2.5% (259.0 MT) compared to 10,453.6 MT during the first semester of 2017.

The top three crops produced by the province were white potatoes with 28.9% or
3,101.1 MT, followed by cabbage with 24.4% or 2,610.6 MT, and carrots with 8.3% or 893.1 MT.

Mountain Province was the second top producer of the region for the following
crops: white potato with 9.8% of the regional white potato production, cabbage with 6.25%, and
carrots with 4.6% (PSA, 2018).

Paracelis and Bauko are the two top commercial producers of crops in the
province. Bauko produces 47,796 MT of highland vegetables and Paracelis produces 33,109
MT of rice and corn. The two municipalities can produce a total of 80,905 MT of major crops and
the rest were produced by the eight municipalities.

The cool climate in the western municipalities of the province is an advantage in

the production of highland vegetables over the lowland provinces. In like manner, Paracelis is
also appropriate in the production of corn that supplies feed mills in Cagayan Valley.
 For highland vegetable production in Bauko and some parts of the western
municipalities, the market outlets are Baguio City and Santiago City in Isabela. The inputs for
commercial fertilizers and pesticides, likewise, are imported from these market outlets for those
who can afford them. But for some farmers, the needed inputs are provided by middlemen who
buy the produce during harvest and subtract the cost of fertilizers and other incidental
expenses. This scheme makes the farmer vulnerable to the dictates of middlemen.

Rice and corn produced in Paracelis are marketed to Santiago City since the city
is the nearest market outlet in the municipality. The same pattern is observed for some farmers
who depend on the middlemen for the cost of fertilizers and pay them for the produce afterward.
These are the factors that despite the province’s comparative advantages as a vegetable
producer due to its cool climate, most farmers remain poor and live at subsistence level.

On livestock production(which includes cattle, swine, and free-range chicken),

Paracelis produced the highest number of 2,199.12 MT of livestock followed by Bontoc
(1,246.17 MT) and the least producer was Barlig (132.82 MT). Livestock are marketed within the
province and outside like Buguias and Mankayan in Benguet. Minimal fish production is
observed in all the municipalities considering that these areas are raised in rice paddies, small
fishponds, and along rivers or streams.

On May 30, 2022, the Department of Agriculture in the Cordillera Administrative

Region (DA-CAR) reiterated its assurance to the public regarding the availability and stable
pricing of highland agricultural products, particularly vegetables like carrots.

According to Dr. Cameron Odsey, the regional director of DA-CAR, there has
been an ample supply of vegetables with favorable selling prices in recent days, ensuring that
farmers are not experiencing losses. The government is actively implementing measures to
combat vegetable wastage and spoilage by facilitating market linkages and development, as
well as assisting in transportation.

DA has allocated funds for constructing a facility to house processing equipment

and distributing delivery trucks to cooperatives and farmers' associations. Through initiatives like
"Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita," the agency helps farmers market their produce both locally and
regionally.

Moreover, DA supports small vegetable farmers by providing logistical assistance

through cooperatives and associations. Funds have been allocated for purchasing delivery
vehicles and seed capital for marketing agricultural produce.

Additionally, DA assists in connecting cooperatives and farmers with private and

institutional buyers. The Benguet Agri Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC), established with DA's
assistance, offers marketing and trading support to farmers.
 Despite efforts, there hasn't been a significant increase in traded volumes of
agricultural commodities recently, with an average daily trade volume of 240.75 metric tons.

A recent viral social media post highlighted a seller in Benguet struggling to sell
carrots despite offering them at PHP10 per kilo. According to Odsey, the carrots remained
unsold because they arrived late in the afternoon, and buyers sought fresher produce. The
seller, identified as "Ms. Agapito," had received the carrots from another farmer but faced
difficulty finding buyers at the same price. Eventually, she managed to sell all the carrots at a
lower price through her Facebook account.

Odsey emphasized the importance of supporting farmers and the agricultural

industry by purchasing local products, including food items.

III. Product to be used/ needed to produce ethanol:

Carrots - To be collected from the households of the group members
Yeast - To be bought from the market
Distilled water - To be purchased from the market
Ice - To be purchased from the Grocery Store
Salt - Available at the laboratory

IV. Proportion:

25% water, 75% shredded carrots

V. Timeline:

March 2, 2024 Preparation of materials to be fermented

March 4 - 7, 2024 Fermentation Stage

March 11, 2024 Distillation and Testing Stage

April 1, 2024 Interpretation of the results

VI. Procedures

Materials and Ingredients:

● Carrots (chopped or shredded)
● Water
● Yeast (for fermentation)
● Fermentation vessel (e.g., a fermentation bucket or tank)
● Airlock and stopper (to allow gasses to escape during fermentation)
● Distillation equipment (e.g., a still)
● Heat source (for distillation)
 Steps:

Step 1 (Carrot): The main medium, the carrot, is a vegetable with a glycemic index of 16.
Although its sugar level is relatively low, carrots are a common vegetable source.
Step 2 (Boiling): The boiling, also known as liquefaction, is the process of adding water and
heating the carrot. The carrot is heated to break the long starch molecules into smaller pieces.
The enzyme alpha-amylase is added to speed up the breakdown of the starch molecules. The
carrot significantly increases its glycemic index to a range of 32 to 49.

Step 3 (Blender): The blender breaks down the structure of the carrot so it can ferment more
easily. Saccharification also occurs in which the starch molecules are further broken down into
simple sugar glucose.

Step 4 (Addition of Yeast): The yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is the most common type of
yeast for fermentation. These yeasts are eukaryotic microorganisms that consume glucose to
acquire energy and produce ethanol.

Step 5 (Fermentation): Fermentation is the process in which the yeast breaks down glucose
into ethanol and carbon dioxide. The east and carrot pulp are placed together for at least 3 days
to complete the fermentation process.

Step 6 (Distillation): The filter removes solid materials from the fermented product. The
fermented product is distilled by heating it to ethanol's boiling point and vaporizing the ethanol
without vaporizing the water. The pure ethanol is slowly trickled from a tube into a container.

VII. Equipments:
a. Boilers
known as steam
generators; they
are closed vessels
in which water is
converted into
steam through the
application of
heat. Steam is
used for driving
steam engines or
steam turbines for
power generation.
Steam is also
used for producing
process steam, which is used for sizing and bleaching in the textile
industry. The capacity of boilers for power generation is considerably
larger than other boilers.
b. Storage Vessels

standard-compliant closed storage vehicle

for storing substances. Although it is mostly
used in the oil industry, it is also used in
other sectors (food industry, fertilizer
industry, etc.). Different requirements are
imposed on vessel storage depending on
the type of material to be stored. With so
many relevant criteria, choosing the best
storage system requires serious
experience. In addition, garage vessels
have to be designed with attention to the
procedures earlier than and after the
garage system.

c. Distillation Equipment

It processes the components of a liquid

mixture by alternating evaporation and
condensation. Distillation can result in an
essentially full separation, resulting in practically
pure components, or it can result in a partial
separation, resulting in higher concentrations of
specific combination components. Distillation
takes the use of variances in the volatile nature
of the mixture’s constituents.

d. Shredder

Equipment utilized for shredding. Shredding machines

are used to reduce the size of materials.
e. Pump

A device that moves fluids (liquids or

gases), or sometimes slurries, by
mechanical action, typically converted
from electrical energy into hydraulic
energy.

f. Mash Tun

An insulated vessel is used in making

the mashing process in which grains
and water are mixed and heated to
produce wort before fermentation.

g. Heat exchanger

Used to transfer heat between a

source and a working fluid.
Heat exchangers are used in
both cooling and heating
 processes. The fluids may be separated by a solid wall to prevent mixing or they
may be in direct contact.

VIII. Plant layout (2d)

IX. Cost Analysis

Capacity of the Plant

L
Total Daily Capacity of the Plant = 5,000
day

L 365
Total Annual Capacity of the Plant = 5,000 x
day 1 year

L
Total Annual Capacity of the Plant = 1,828,000
year

Ratio of the Production

● For every 15 kilograms of carrots, you would use approximately 1 kilogram of

yeast

● it's estimated that approximately 3.5-4.5 kg of carrots can produce 1 liter of

ethanol.

3.5 kg 1000 kg
Ratio of Carrots/Ethanol Produced = =
1liter 3.5

3.5 kg
Ratio of Carrots/Water =
1liter
 15 kg
Ratio of Carrots/Yeast =
1 kg

Annual Amount of Carrots, Water and Yeast

1000 kg 1,828,000
Amount of Carrots per year = =
3.5 285.71
Amount of Carrots per year = 6353.62kg

3.5 kg (6353.62 kg)

Amount of Water per year = =
1liter (Water L)
Amount of Water per year = 1818.18L

15 kg 6353.62 kg
Amount of Yeast per year = =
1 kg kg of yeast
Amount of Yeast per year = 424.24kg

Return of investment for the plant (ROI)

● ASSUMING:

Initial Investment (Cost of Plant Setup): PHP 50,000,000

Annual Operating Costs: PHP 15,000,000
Selling Price per Liter of Ethanol: PHP 100

Now, we can proceed with the calculation:

Annual Ethanol Production:

Total Revenue:

1,828,000 liters/year×PHP 100/liter

1,828,000 liters/year×PHP 100/liter

=PHP 182,800,000

Total Investment:

Initial Investment+Annual Operating Costs

PHP 50,000,000+PHP 15,000,000
=PHP 65,000,000

Net Profit:
 Total Revenue−Total Operating Costs
PHP 182,800,000−PHP 15,000,000
=PHP 167,800,000

TOTAL ROI

Net profit
ROI = ×100
total investment

167,800,000
= ×100
65,000,000

=258.15%

Note that actual ROI will depend on various factors such as actual costs, selling price of
ethanol, market conditions, etc.

X. Results and conclusions from the experiment

A fermented liquid was distilled at H103 on March 11, 2024. The flame was maintained
at a temperature of 80°C. However, after some time, no ethanol was extracted from the
liquid. -

From the results, we observed that, unlike other fruits or vegetables, carrots may require
a more detailed handling process to yield ethanol from them, and another factor that
greatly affected the extraction of ethanol was due to tight-sealed fermentation. Several
factors from our procedures could be pointed out as well as why no ethanol was
extracted, though there’s a strong fragrance of alcohol meaning that it has the capability
of producing ethanol. For us to have an easier fermentation, shredding and boiling the
carrot is a must. The boiling process could help bring out the sugar. Another reason why
carrots may produce ethanol is that many pieces of research indicate that the carrot is
capable of producing ethanol. According to the research of M.N. Yesmin et al., carrots
produce 73.67 ml of ethanol with 12.66 % (v/v) purity. This was gathered from their
experiment of having 100g of agri-products (corn, pumpkin, and carrot) boiled and
blended in 300 ml of distilled water. About 1750 units of α-amylase enzyme and 200 ml
of 2-day-old yeast were added to each treatment adjusted to pH 6.0, and incubated at
35˚C for 6 days. After the incubation period, the turbidity of the solution and produced
ethanol were measured.

In conclusion, extracting ethanol from carrots may require a very detailed handling
process, wherein a slight error in the approach used could lead to no ethanol yield.
Several methods that could help bring out the sugar in carrots would be boiling them and
adding specific nutrients or ingredients.

References:

Yesmin, M. N., Azad, M. a. K., Kamruzzaman, M., & Uddin, M. N. (2020). Bioethanol
Production from Corn, Pumpkin and Carrot of Bangladesh as Renewable Source using
Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Acta Chemica Malaysia (Print), 4(2), 45–54.
https://doi.org/10.2478/acmy-2020-0008

FPA. (2016). Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). Agricultural Production Accounts.

https://fpa.da.gov.ph/NW/index.php/information-resources/regional-profile/car

Agoot, L. (May 30, 2022). DA-CAR assures ample supply, steady prices of veggies
Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1175411

Hollimon, N. (2022, May 24). How do carrots affect blood sugar?. WebMD.
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/carrots-effect-on-blood-sugar

Levac, K. (2018, August 13). How is ethanol made? | Let's talk about science.
https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/backgrounders/how-ethanol-made

Maicas, S. (2020). The role of yeasts in fermentation processes. Microorganisms, 8(8),

1142. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8081142