The use of banana peels as raw materials of bio-alcohol production

Abstract

Indonesia’s energy demand has increased in recent years in line with the increase in economic growth and population in Indonesia. Most of this energy is derived from non-renewable sources such as oil, natural gas, and coal. These trends will have a significant impact on energy depletion. One solution to overcome this problem is developing alternative energy resources to replace petroleum, such as bio-alcohol. The objective of this study was to analyze the potential of bio-alcohol production from organic waste, that is, banana peel. This research is experimental. Bio-alcohol was obtained through a fermentation process of 3 types of banana peels waste, including Raja banana (Musa acuminata×M. balbisiana) peel, Agung banana (Musa paradisiaca) peel, and Nangka banana (Musa acuminata×M. balbisiana) peel. Fermentation was conducted using variations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae of 1%, 3%, and 5% with a fermentation time of 5 days. All experiments were performed in duplicate. The results showed that the highest value of bio-alcohol was produced from the waste of Raja Nangka peel at a concentration of 5% Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which was 1.70% (p-value <0.05). This study suggests the potential of banana peel waste in producing bio-alcohol as alternative energy in the future.