Tel Aviv (AFP)

Israeli scientists have developed a "simplified" and "low-cost" technique for producing ethanol from plant waste treated with ozone, thereby meeting the growing demand for alcohol for medical use. Covid-19 pandemic.

For almost five years, Hadas Mamane, who heads the environmental engineering program at Tel Aviv University, has been working with his team on recycling waste and transforming it into alcohol, such as a fuel substitute.

However, the emergence of the new coronavirus, which considerably increased the demand for hand sanitizers, directed its research towards the transformation of waste into ethanol, an alcohol commonly used to make hydroalcoholic solutions.

"We found that Israel imported all of the ethanol to make + alkogel + and we decided to make ethanol from the waste ourselves," Mamane told AFP.

"Here are residues of paper from a factory, straw from a zoological park and grass harvested from the municipality of Tel Aviv," she shows in her laboratory, before introducing all in a reactor into which it inserts ozone.

The technique of injecting small amounts of ozone makes it possible to reduce the resources necessary for transforming waste into alcohol and it is therefore more economical, explains Hadas Mamane.

It takes four to five days to obtain the precious liquid after the ozonization of the waste and after adding enzymes and preservatives.

The production of ethanol from vegetable sources such as sugar cane or corn already exists elsewhere. But according to the researcher, it results from "extremely complex" and "expensive" processes which often require "the construction of huge refineries".

"We have succeeded in showing that it is possible to produce ethanol with a simple process, respectful of the environment and which does not generate toxins", notes Mrs. Mamane.

According to her, her study has great potential because more than 620,000 tonnes of plant waste are produced each year in Israel.

The technical invention, produced jointly with Professor Yoram Gerchman of the University of Haifa, has been patented in the United States.

In addition to making Israel independent in the production of ethanol, the exploitation of waste will reduce the cost of its treatment and the impact of its combustion on the environment and air pollution, underlines the researcher who considers a possible commercialization. within two years.

© 2020 AFP