Question

Which of the following plant species you would select for the production of bioethanol?
A. Jatropha
B. Brassica
C. Zea Mays
D. Pongamia

Answer 1

Hint: Bioethanol is one of the types of biofuel. Bioethanol is the same as ethanol. Bioethanol is produced by fermenting the sugars. Depending upon the sugar content of the plant it is used as a raw material for producing bioethanol.

Complete answer: Biofuel are of two types in which bioethanol is one of the types. Bioethanol is nothing but ethyl alcohol which is produced by the fermentation of sugars. The species which are rich in sugar content like corn, sugarcane, or sweet sorghum are selected for the process of fermentation. Cellulosic biomass is also stored as a raw material from non-food sources such as trees and grasses for the production of bioethanol. Common crops like maize are used for the production of ethanol but considering that the food production should not be affected an alternative can be used instead. Jatropha plant is used as an alternative for the production of bioethanol. A high amount of energy is produced by Jatropha as its seeds are rich in fatty acid methyl ester. Hence the biofuel bioethanol can be yielded by processing the oil obtained from Jatropha seeds. Its oil is mixed with pongamia oil for the production of bioethanol. Zea Mays is mostly used as a food crop but also used in the production of bioethanol where its cultivation is high. B. napus one of the species of brassica is used for the production of bioethanol but it is not used extensively.
So, option A is the correct option.

Note: Another type of biofuel is biodiesel. Ethanol is also called ethyl alcohol. Even though bioethanol is produced by fermenting sugars, it can also be produced by chemical reactions like reacting ethylene with steam. Bioethanol is replacing conventional fuels like petrol and diesel.