Turning Fruits Into Ethylene and Ethane Refrigerant

Hackaday is reporting on a DIY chemistry project that turns fruit into refrigerants. Start with fermentation: combine fruit, yeast, and sugar to produce ethanol. Heat that ethanol to three hundred fifty degrees Celsius with an aluminum oxide catalyst, and you get ethylene—a common refrigerant for fridges and air conditioners. Ethane requires more steps involving bacteria, acetic acid, baking soda, and a platinum anode. Since commercial refrigerants carry steep costs, this approach lets makers generate their own refrigerants at home—assuming they have the chemistry skills and equipment.

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