What apparatus is used in the production of ethanol by fermentation?

What apparatus is used in the production of ethanol by fermentation?

• A. Warm yeast and glucose solution in a conical flask with a bung connected by a tube to a test tube containing lime water
• B. A sealed steel reactor with a gas scrubber
• C. A simple beaker with a stirrer
• D. A distillation column with a condenser

Answer: (A)

Fermentation that produces ethanol relies on yeast converting sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide under warm, anaerobic conditions. The setup with warm glucose solution and yeast in a conical flask provides the right environment for the yeast to act. The bung and tube directing gas into a test tube with lime water lets you observe the gas that’s produced. If carbon dioxide is given off, the lime water goes cloudy, giving a simple visible sign that fermentation is occurring and CO2 is being formed alongside ethanol in the solution. This small-scale setup is practical for demonstrating the process and gas production. The other options don’t fit the purpose for observing fermentation directly: a sealed steel reactor is more of an industrial vessel and isn’t ideal for a simple demonstration; a plain beaker with a stirrer won’t capture or test any gas; a distillation column with a condenser is used after fermentation to separate and purify ethanol, not during the fermentation itself.

Fermentation that produces ethanol relies on yeast converting sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide under warm, anaerobic conditions. The setup with warm glucose solution and yeast in a conical flask provides the right environment for the yeast to act. The bung and tube directing gas into a test tube with lime water lets you observe the gas that’s produced. If carbon dioxide is given off, the lime water goes cloudy, giving a simple visible sign that fermentation is occurring and CO2 is being formed alongside ethanol in the solution. This small-scale setup is practical for demonstrating the process and gas production.

The other options don’t fit the purpose for observing fermentation directly: a sealed steel reactor is more of an industrial vessel and isn’t ideal for a simple demonstration; a plain beaker with a stirrer won’t capture or test any gas; a distillation column with a condenser is used after fermentation to separate and purify ethanol, not during the fermentation itself.