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Which of the following plant species would you select for the production of bioethanol?
A
$Jatropha$
B
$Brassica$
C
$Zea\ mays$
D
$Pongamia$
Detailed Solution
Bioethanol is produced by the fermentation of sugars by yeast; so the raw material must be rich in sugar or in starch that can be converted to sugar.
$Zea\ mays$ (maize) grains are rich in starch, which is hydrolysed to glucose and fermented to ethanol; maize and sugarcane are the major sources of bioethanol.
$Jatropha$ and $Pongamia$ have oil-rich seeds; their oil is used to make biodiesel, not bioethanol.
$Brassica$ (mustard, rapeseed) is also an oilseed crop.
Hence $Zea\ mays$ would be selected for the production of bioethanol.
$Zea\ mays$ (maize) grains are rich in starch, which is hydrolysed to glucose and fermented to ethanol; maize and sugarcane are the major sources of bioethanol.
$Jatropha$ and $Pongamia$ have oil-rich seeds; their oil is used to make biodiesel, not bioethanol.
$Brassica$ (mustard, rapeseed) is also an oilseed crop.
Hence $Zea\ mays$ would be selected for the production of bioethanol.