Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am testing which plant will produce the most ethanol oil...there is a long process involving fermentation and distillation. I am unsure of what to ferment, though. The instructions say to put the plant in the incubator to ferment. Does this mean the whole plant, or just part? For example I would like to use potatoes, soybeans, and corn. Would I put the corn kernels, the potato, and the beans in a tray to ferment; or the whole plant? I'd imagine just the part of the plant, but I want to be sure since this is for a very important competition in my state. Hopefully this is enough information to go on. Thank you!

Ethanol is made from the sugars in the plant (i.e. starches, cellulose, etc.), so you would want to put the area that is high in these starches into the incubator. I agree that you could just use the actual potato, soybean, and corn kernels, and leave out the rest of the plant, but in the end, as long as you document what you do and stay consistent, I think you could be okay either way.

JMP