Self-Organizing Maps Neural Networks Applied to the Classification of Ethanol Samples According to the Region of Commercialization

Aline Regina Walkoff,Sandra Regina Masetto Antunes,Dionisio Borsato,Paulo Rogério Pinto Rodrigues,Lívia Ramazzoti Chanan Silva,Maria Elena Payret Arrúa

doi:10.17807/orbital.v9i4.982

Aline Regina Walkoff, Sandra Regina Masetto Antunes + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v9i4.982

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Abstract

Physical-chemical analysis data were collected, from 998 ethanol samples of automotive ethanol commercialized in the northern, midwestern and eastern regions of the state of Parana. The data presented self-organizing maps (SOM) neural networks, which classified them according to those regions. The self-organizing maps best configuration had a 45 x 45 topology and 5000 training epochs, with a final learning rate of 6.7x10 -4 , a final neighborhood relationship of 3x10 -2 and a mean quantization error of 2x10 -2 . This neural network provided a topological map depicting three separated groups, each one corresponding to samples of a same region of commercialization. Four maps of weights, one for each parameter, were presented. The network established the pH was the most important variable for classification and electrical conductivity the least one. The self-organizing maps application allowed the segmentation of alcohol samples, therefore identifying them according to the region of commercialization. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v9i4.982

Highlights

Fuels obtained from crude oil hydrocarbons, whose utilization is still prevalent, do not possess the advantage of ethanol which can be obtained from more evenly distributed resources worldwide [1]
Emissions from burning ethanol are smaller compared to emissions from burning gasoline and part of released CO2 is reabsorbed by the sugarcane itself [3, 4]
In order to evaluate the profile of fuel ethanol commercialized in the northern, eastern and midwestern regions of Paraná state, data of physicochemical analysis of ethanol samples were collected

Summary

Introduction

Fuels obtained from crude oil hydrocarbons, whose utilization is still prevalent, do not possess the advantage of ethanol which can be obtained from more evenly distributed resources worldwide [1]. Ethanol has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, companies and governments, due to prospects of depletion of non-renewable fossil fuel sources, competition on fuel prices, as well as environmental concerns related to the emission of substances that harm the environment [2] This biofuel is, to date, the only one able to meet the growing global demand for renewable energy of low cost and low polluting potential. In the 70s, Brazil launched the National Alcohol Program - PROALCOOL and developed technology to use ethanol, extensively, on vehicles previously powered by gasoline. It is currently one of the most advanced countries, on the technological point of view, on the production and use of ethanol as fuel. The production process used in Brazil is almost exclusively the fermentation of the must, consisting of sugarcane juice and molasses [4, 6]

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