As Pakistan’s economy is struggling, it needs a cheap and efficient fuel to run its industries and vehicles. Ethanol, a low-cost but powerful fuel, can be produced from the starchy roots of sweet potato. However, sweet potatoes are not widely cultivated in Pakistan.
Naveed Ahmad, Assistant Director of the Directorate of Floriculture (T&R) Punjab, Lahore: “If the government helps the growers, we can market biofuel internationally for sustainable earning. There may be a few problems at the outset, but afterward these can be overcome by adopting good policies.”
Talking about the distillation of ethanol and its economic value, businessman and chemist Mumtaz Hussain Mian said that dried chunks or flour of sweet potato are used for ethanol extraction: “Sweet potato can be called an attractive raw material to extract ethanol for industrial use. At least 4,800 litres of ethanol can be extracted from a hectare of sweet potato field.”
Source: nation.com.pk