PENGARUH RASIO CAMPURAN KULIT PISANG DAN JAGUNG TERHADAP KUALITAS PRODUK BIOETANOL

Global energy challenges and increasing dependence on fossil fuels have driven the development of alternative biomass-based energy sources. Bioethanol is an environmentally friendly liquid bioenergy product that can be obtained through the fermentation process of organic materials containing carbohydrates. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of varying the ratio of banana peels and sweet corn on the quality of the resulting bioethanol. The methods used included pretreatment, hydrolysis, 7-day fermentation with the addition of tape yeast (22 g) and NPK fertilizer (8 g), and fractional distillation. The raw material composition was prepared in three variations, consisting of a mixture of sweet corn and banana peels, with compositions of (550:50), (500:100), and (450:150). Tests were conducted to determine the alcohol content, calorific value, and flash point of the resulting mixture. The research results showed that Sample A produced the best quality bioethanol, with the highest alcohol content of 85%, a calorific value of 5,876 kcal/kg, and a flash point of -3°C. Sample B had an alcohol content of 81%, a calorific value of 5,520 kcal/kg, and a flash point of -2°C, while Sample C recorded an alcohol content of 79%, a calorific value of 5,266 kcal/kg, and a flash point of 2°C. Sweet corn is rich in starch, which is easily converted into fermentable sugars, while banana peels contain lignocellulose, which is difficult to decompose. Consequently, the more banana peels, the lower the fermentation efficiency, resulting in less ethanol, lower heat, and an increased flash point due to the high water and non-ethanolic compounds content.