Can discarded sweets and confectionaries be converted to fuel? Ethanol? Any ideas?

Question

I have a huge, daily source. Hate to see it end up in a dumpster.

Anaerobic methane digester is one option but, from what little I know, sugars and grains are ideal for producing ethanol.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!!

Answer 1

Fer sher. You may need to get an enzyme for starch conversion to sugar.  I'm not sure what to do w/the left over mash.  I suppose you could compoast it or feed it to hogs.  Don't tink I'd eat the hogs though.  http://www.crosby-baker.com/Siebel.htm

Answer 2

Ethanol isn't a great thing. One reg. petro fuel tank for a car uses the same amount of grain as how much a person could live off of for an entire year. It's also ironic in how Brazil is the worlds largest ethanol producer and they're rewarded for it... The thing is that they cut down the rainforest to plant the extra sugarcane they use for ethanol.

Nuclear Power for the Grid is better and we should just increase fuel mileage on cars.

And to answer your question. I don't know if that would work. It really isn't worth it because we would use too much energy to transport and convert it that it would end up wasting energy.

Answer 3

yes you can, any sugar can be converted to alcohol, the hardest part is getting the alcohol to 200 op, but not undoable. Whetehr you are permitted to distil alcohol in your jurisdiction is another question.

methane digesters will run on any green or "other" wastes, but if you are serious, I would be careful to not mix air with your gas.

If its for small amounts ( making alcohol ) I would say go for it. You are going to need a decent home refracting still, though, the pot ones don't really cut it for high op alcohol. Cheapest one ive seen wil run you 400 bucks, but its good, if you are handy you might be able to make one alot cheaper.

As a way of not wasting candy, its probably not ideal, since sugar is so cheap, youd be better starting from scratch.

As a way to recycle, I'm sure you could come up with some thing easier.

"Worldemp", if you really think nuclear is such a great option, ( On ANY basis) you need to go study the reality of it, and the alternatives which you probably HAVENT seen on some ccn sound bite.

Methane as was mentioned above, geo thermal, high altitude wind, "Vawt"  wind, and so on.

Try doing some research IF you are an amateur scientist

There are dozens of useful and low cost energy solutions out there, and nuclear IS NOT one of them.

Don't believe everything you see on tv, someone might confiscate your library card.

Jeff M, nice I wish I had your toys sounds like fun, Im hoping to be in the position to do simialr stuff in a year or so.

I would like to use vawt  type turbines, though, because they are less drama and less likely to upset the neighbours.

Answer 4

Researchers at Tulane University have experimented with candy bars and doughnuts converted to automobile fuel.  They have a small imported car that gets 38 miles to the candy bar/doughnut.

Answer 5

absolutely I have a still in my back yard I use to feed my ski boat and around town car.  I use apple waste from a local cider plant now but I did and occasionally still do use restaurant waste. Its just not as reliable supply for me for biomass as my permit allows me to produce 5000 gallons a year although I do go slightly over that.  You can make Ethanol out of a lot of things including sweet grasses and silage (corn stalks) and NEVER use a single kernel or piece of grain. search cellulosic ethanol.

since I installed wind turbines to produce about 85% of my total yearly electrical usage, and plan on installing more for over 100% I use electric boilers. my ethanol cost is less than 15 cents a gallon not counting labor and thats because I buy all my yeast instead of growing it myself.

my turbines are vawt. I built them myself if you can weld aluminum and have access to a small machine shop, I have a verticle (knee) mill in my garage, and know electrical code it's easy and not that expessive the inverters were the most expensive part 15 kw 3 ph. generators are a dime a dozen.  I also have 3 double stacked  google for designs

the neighbor lady called the cops several times about the turbine noise it is an annoying pitch but it was only 41 deciples in a near 50 mph wind at its worst so after the 3-4 call the cops told her to stop.

my boat uses 13 gallons an hour gas e-90 thats the limit where it won't run right, its about 14. I can deal with 1 1/5 gallons of gas at $3. { its my own fuel supply thats why it's blended 90% not 85% also its a ski boat and a 75 mercedes before clean air act so it and the boat are exempt from fuel and emmisions modifications.  there only used in summer so cold weather is not a factor. I also converted both myself and built the motors.

first your boilers I use two electric 40 gallon water heaters set on max a refractory tower built from copper tube. google for design, remember 1-24 on tower ratio. gravity feed from high proof out through a three stage moleculer sive google for supplier and prices (3 with bypasses to change media 1 at a time) my design but nothing fancy if your cleaver. low proof back to supply tank feeding boilers. finally 198 proof to collection sump which pumps to (3) 2000 gallon hdpe tanks 3/4 -7/8 buried behind the garage with a pump to the nossle in the front of the garage. the still is in its own shed 100 feet behind the garage.

and the part you where woundering, from august through december when I have abundent biomass both stills run 24/7 I made them as automated as possible. I go pick up 2 tons of cider mash a week, I have (80) 55 gallon wort tanks feeding a 150 gallon resovore which feeds the stills. It's very labor intensive but then me and my sons like to ski and the boat is docked and I have a f-250 sd with a 125 gallon tank in the bed to feed it. at todays fuel prices I couldn't afford to take the boat out more than once every other week, not daily in season.

and another edit     I use apple mash as it ferments great and is fragrent an important consideration if you have neighbors. if the cops nose is not offended then you get no ticket.