Production of Ethanol from Opuntia monocantha by Means of the Exploitation of Commercial Yeast
Abstract
In arid regions, the cactus (Opuntia monocantha) is an invasive species. Numerous studies on the physicochemical characteristics of its cladodes have been conducted, which supports their value as a novel energy source. Furthermore, in addition to being a medical plant, Opuntia monocantha may also be the source of novel materials like leather, plastic, and so forth. Our study's objective is to evaluate the potential for producing bioethanol from Virudhunagar district Opuntia monocantha. We employed a number of procedures for this manufacture, including raw material reduction, grinding, gelling, fermentation, and distillation. To determine whether the yeast used the glucose to produce ethanol, the amount of glucose in cladodes is tested both before and after fermentation. The glucose is estimated using the Anthrone method. The ethanol produced at 78.3°C is clarified by the distillation process and examined using the quantitative potassium dichromate technique. However, correction and other modifications are required before this product may be commercialized.
Citation
Naveenraj, A., Naga Pandeeswari, S., & Renuga Devi, R. (2026). Production of Ethanol from Opuntia monocantha by Means of The Exploitation of Commercial Yeast. International Journal of Current Science Research (IJCSR) , 12.1, 1–9.
License
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Dr. BGR Publications . The authors retain copyright of this article. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
References
- Armanul N et al., (2017), Isolation of saccharomyces cerevisiae from pineapple and orange and study of metal’s effectiveness on ethanol production, European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology, 7 (1), 76–91
- Castro R.C.A., & Roberto I.C., (2014), “Selection of a thermotolerant Kluyveromyces marxianus strain with potential application for cellulosic ethanol production by simultaneous Saccarification and fermentation”, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnoloy, 172
- Damyanov A and Hofmann P. (2019), Operation of a Diesel Engine with Intake Manifold Alcohol Injection. Automotive Engines and Technology, 4, 17–28
- Jamai L.,& Mohamed Ettayebi., (2021), Optimization of bioethanol production from prickly Pear of Opuntia ficus-indica at high temperatures, Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 20(6), 941-948
- Jones AM and Ingledew WM. (1994), Evaluation of nitrogenous yeast diets for extremely high gravity fermentation of wheat mash for the generation of fuel alcohol, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 60(3), 1048–1051
- López-Domínguez C M et al., Semi-Simulatunous Saccharification and Fermentaion of Opuntia ficus Cladode for Bioethanol Production using Wild strain, International Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR), ISSN: 2320-5407
- Nascimento Santos et al. (2016), Potential for biofuels from the biomass of prickly pear cladodes: Challenges for bioethanol and biogas production in dry areas, Biomass and Bioenergy, 85, 215- 222
- Randremahitsimanana FT et al., (2022) Assessment Of The Bioethanol Potential Of Cactus (Opuntia Ficus Indica) From Madagascar, International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies (IJPSAT), 34(1), 328-334
- Sam-Pin Lee et al., (2000), Alcohol Fermentation of Opuntia ficus Fruit Juice, Journal of Food science and Nutrients, 5(1), 32-36
