New approach for potato waste to ethanol conversion

In Pennsylvania, researchers from Penn State found a more efficient and less expensive way to convert potato waste into ethanol, which is good news for the more than 20 potato chip manufacturing companies located in the region.

By adding a bioreactor of mold and yeast while breaking down potato peels and residuals from complex carbohydrates to simple sugars and fermentation, researchers found it encouraged biofilm formation and larger numbers of microbes which helped improve ethanol production.

Ali Demirci, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, told Penn State News “This research is of great interest to Keystone Potato Products in Hegins, Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of Sterman Masser Inc. The company is paying attention to this project, hoping this novel approach may help it add more value to its waste potato mash. Industrial food wastes are potentially a great substrate in production of value-added products to reduce the cost, while managing the waste economically and environmentally.