International Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy 2013; 2(6): 201-204 Published online October 20, 2013 (http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijrse) doi: 10.11648/j.ijrse.20130206.12 Evaluation of sugar content and bioethanol potentials of some freshwater biomass Muhammad Muktar Namadi 1, * , Maikaje Dominic Bawa 2 , Denwe Samuel Dangmwan 2 , Abdullahi Fatima Ahmed 3 1 Department of Chemistry, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna 3 Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna Email address: ammimuktar@yahoo.com(M. M. Namadi) To cite this article: Muhammad Muktar Namadi, Maikaje Dominic Bawa, Denwe Samuel Dangmwan, Abdullahi Fatima Ahmed. Evaluation of Sugar Content and Bioethanol Potentials of Some Freshwater Biomass. International Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. Vol. 2, No. 6, 2013, pp. 201-204. doi: 10.11648/j.ijrse.20130206.12 Abstract: An evaluation of sugar content and bioethanol potential of some freshwater biomass namely; Eichhornia crassipes (Water Hyacinth) Pistia stratiotes (Water Lettuce) and Salvinia molesta (Water Fern) was carried out in a batch hydrolysis and fermentation processes. Determinations of xylose and glucose content were achieved using phloroglucinol and Dinitrosalicylic assay respectively. While the amount of glucose in E. crassipes, P. stratiotes and S. molesta were 0.08, 0.07 and 0.04 g/L, that of xylose were found to be 0.11, 09 and 0.07 g/L respectively. The results of analysis of biofuel potential show that maximum ethanol yield of 25 cm 3 was observed in E. crassipess, 25 cm 3 in P. stratiotes and 20 cm 3 was found in S. molesta after 21days of fermentation and this gave a corresponding mean yield of 18.3 cm 3 , 17.6 cm 3 and 15.0 cm 3 respectively. The study concludes that the sugar content in the freshwater biomass determined the amount of ethanol yield. While there are no significant differences in the bioethanol production potential between the three biomass samples, E. crassipess and P. stratiotes have higher yield than S. molesta. Keywords: Freshwater, Biomass, Bioethanol, Fermentation 1. Introduction Freshwater biomass is aquatic weed which interfere with the use of water and constitute a nuisance to the environment and human welfare (Uka et al., 2009). Some freshwater biomass such as Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) and Salvinia molesta (water fern), have invaded freshwater ecosystem especially in Northern Nigeria, causing considerable socio- economic problems. These invasive aquatic weeds affect biodiversity as well as water quality and have become a source of concerns to ecologists and fishermen in Nigeria. Several attempts which include mechanical, chemical and biological remedies were made to eradicates and control their growth to a manageable level, however these efforts were not very successful because of the plants prolific rate of reproduction (Chukwuka and Uka, 2007). Global depletion of energy supply due to the unsustainable consumption and the associated environmental problems of fossil fuel utilization have prompted the research on alternative energy sources (Bentley, 2002). One of such innovative approaches has been the conversion of biomass into fuel ethanol. Production of bioethanol provides several advantages over fossil fuel. Utilization of abundant and inexpensive sources of biomass resources would control the spread and curb their negative effects, result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emission and ensure energy security (Lin and Tanaka, 2006). The freshwater weeds; Eichhornia crassipes (waterhyacinth) Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) and Salvinia molesta (water fern) are fast growing aquatic plants widely distributed throughout the world. These tropical plants can cause infestations over large areas of water and consequently lead to series of Ecological problems including; reduction in biodiversity, blockage of watercourses, depletion of dissolved oxygen, alteration of water chemistry and causing environmental pollution (Malik, 2007). More recently, attention has been focused on the potentials and constrains of using freshwater biomass