Modeling a Biorefinery: Converting Pineapple Waste to Bioproducts and Biofuel

Abstract

Many students may not be aware that renewable biological materials can be converted into multiple bioproducts and biofuels using a biorefinery process, a more sustainable alternative to conventional crude oil refineries. By using waste from pineapple, a plant material that most students are familiar with, a biorefinery can be modeled to demonstrate the benefits of a circular bioeconomy. Pineapple waste consists of the peel, core, and leaves that are often discarded after the fruit is processed for consumption. These “leftovers” or “residues” are rich sources of sugars and lignocellulosic biomass, which can be converted to value-added bioproducts and biofuel. In this article, the development and implementation of a high school laboratory activity that simulates a pineapple biorefinery is described. It was field tested with an Environmental Science class, in which students converted pineapple leaves into paper, and they fermented the sugars from the core and peel into bioethanol for fuel. Students investigated how different process variables influenced the tensile strength of their paper and the quantity of bioethanol produced. This lab introduces students to the potential of a circular bioeconomy and challenges them to integrate prior chemistry and biology knowledge to generate solutions to real-world sustainability problems. It can be used in chemistry classes to demonstrate stoichiometry, chemical reaction yield, chemical bonds, and the effect of reactant concentration on the rate of product formation.

Synthesis and Characterization of Biobased Lactose Hydrogels: A Teaching Experiment on Sustainable Polymers and Waste Biomass Valorization

“…Examples of waste valorization exist in the education literature and include the extraction of tannins from acorns, the exploration of humin byproducts from the acid-catalyzed reactions involving sugars sourced from lignocelluloses, conversion of pineapple waste to biofuels, generation of adsorbents from fruit and vegetable peels, and others. , For teaching purposes, the tunable properties of hydrogels provide varied opportunities for engagement of students from K-12 to upper level undergraduates depending on the desired application. ,− …”