Seaweed Producing Bio-ethanol, Indonesian Sea Large Potential

In the current era, energy use has increased, but the supply of energy, especially fossil energy raw materials are running low. Inventories of crude oil and coal is very limited and takes millions of years to return to form. In addition, fuel derived from petroleum and coal produces pollution and result in global warming. Therefore, we need a renewable energy and an environmentally friendly energy that can overcome the problems of energy and global warming.
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One of the renewable energy is energy that made from raw seaweed. Seaweed can be used as bio-ethanol. Caulerpa serrulata and Gracilaria verrucosa is a species of sea grass that can produce bioethanol. This species has a cellulose content that can be hydrolyzed to glucose which can then be converted into bioethanol.
The process of making bioethanol from seaweed that is the preparation of raw materials, which form the process of hydrolysis of starch into glucose. The second stage of the fermentation process, convert glucose into ethanol and CO2. Meanwhile, the third stage of purification by distillation results. But before distillation, it is necessary separation between solids with liquids, to avoid clogging during the process of distillation. Done to separate the ethanol distillation with water. The boiling point of pure ethanol is 78 ° C while the water is 100 ° C for standard conditions. By heating the solution at a temperature range of 78-100 ° C would result in most of the ethanol evaporated, and the condensing units will be produced ethanol with a concentration of 95% volume.
The advantage to develop energy that is made from raw seaweed, seaweed cultivation process does not reduce food agricultural land because land does not require land. In addition, Indonesia as an archipelagic nation, whose land consists of 2 / 3 ocean and has approximately 81,000 km long beach has great potential to cultivate seaweed. Indonesia has a wide area for seaweed culture activities area of ​​1.1109 million ha, but the development new seaweed cultivation area of ​​222,180 ha of land use around 20% of the potential acreage.
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Seaweed cultivation process was relatively short because it only requires about 45 days to be harvested. Seaweed productivity is quite high compared to using a cane, cassava, sweet potatoes, and corn as raw material for bioethanol. Seaweed is also doing fontosintesis so it can absorb CO2 gas that causes global warming in the world. So far, global warming pengatasian always associated with tree planting. In fact, the ocean has great potential to help overcome the problem of global warming. Effect of bioethanol from seaweed industry towards alleviating the impact of global warming greater because seaweed ethanol absorb carbon from the air seven times higher than bioethanol from wood.
Seaweed as biodiesel is considered more competitive than other commodities. 1 ha of land seaweed can produce 58,700 liters (30% oil) annually, that number is very large compared to corn which produces 172 liters / year and oil palm produce 5900 liters / year.
Bioethanol from seaweed has proven to be cheaper than the costs and benefits of sugar cane and wood because of faster growth, allowing the harvest up to six times a year. The production costs of bioethanol from seaweed cheaper than wood because the kelp does not contain lignin so that the processing process is not charged by the preliminary treatment process.
Source:yudiprasetyo.info / grass-sea-as-raw-making biofuels /indosmarin.com/2008/11/ri-korea-kembangk...el-dari-rumput-laut /portal.pi-umkm.net/en/opini/quo-vadis-kekayaan-laut.htmlgo-greenergy.blogspot.com/2009/07/rumput...i-bahan-biofuel.htmlrumputlaut.org / Undip-developed materials ba...oetanol-sea-grass /majalahenergi.com / media / Kunena / attachmen...ages / rumput_laut.jpg