Fermentation in a Bag

• In this experiment, students will create ethanol through fermentation using a few common ingredients.
• Students will use warm water, dry active yeast, and feedstock to create ethanol and CO₂ in a bag and measure the production of gas and ethanol using various tools.
• Students can also compare which feedstocks produce more CO₂ or ethanol.

Positives

• A video and written instructions make it easy for teachers and students to understand the experiment.
• This resource contains a video on measuring fermentation rates without an ethanol probe, allowing many classrooms to perform the activity with few resources.

Additional Prerequisites

• This experiment can be extended into a complete lesson on biofuels using the resources at the bottom of the page.
• Students should know what ethanol is and its uses.
• It may benefit students to first learn about chemical and physical changes.
  

Differentiation

• Before beginning the experiment, the teacher can engage students and assess prior knowledge by reviewing chemical reactions.
• This experiment can fit within a larger unit on different types of alternative energy.
• This experiment can supplement a classroom discussion on new research related to corn-based ethanol or waste-based biofuels and their economic or environmental aspects.