Rocket Fuel: Sugar

C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ Sucrose (Table Sugar)

C₆H₁₂O₆ Fructose

C₆H₁₂O₆ D-Glucose (Dextrose)

Sugar is a naturally occurring compound found in many plants.  Pure corn syrup is almost 100% D-glucose, and high fructose corn syrup HFCS is corn syrup with added enzymes to turn a percentage of the glucose into fructose.  Karo^® is common U.S. brand of concentrated fructose/glucose syrup.  Sucrose (table sugar), is found naturally in sugar cane and sugar beets.  It is a compound made up of fructose and glucose.

Sugar is a popular fuel in amateur rocketry because it is very inexpensive, available over-the-counter, and gives a nice smoke trail which aids in visual tracking of the smaller rockets.  All types of these sugars in their many forms are used as fuel in nitrate/sugar or candy rocket propellant.  In these propellants, the oxidizer is usually potassium nitrate.  Popular forms of sugar used in propellants include: high fructose corn syrup, table sugar, confectioners (powdered) sugar, honey and even commercial candy products like pixie-stix^® and Oreo^® cream.¹ Due to the high melting temperature of regular table sugar (sucrose), corn syrup is usually added to make a malleable propellant at a lower more manageable temperature.  It also helps reduce possible grain boundary errors common in fast hardening table-sugar/nitrate propellant.  Sugar alcohols like sorbitol are often substituted for sucrose to address these grain manufacturing issues.

Advantages:

• Least expensive fuel to manufacture and purchase
• Easiest fuel to obtain
• Easily melted, making it a good fuel for casting/re-crystallizing
• Non-toxic, Non-poisonous (it's in our food!)
• Environmentally friendly

Disadvantages:

• Low energy compared to other organic fuels
• Fast cure time, while hot (unlike sorbitol) unless corn syrup added
• High smoke content

Cautions:

See Sugar MSDS

Other Interesting Facts:

Another sugar that is found in milk is called lactose C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁.

Animals and humans need significant amounts of sugar to survive.  It is both a macronutrient and a micronutrient.

1.  James Yawn Rocketry

2.  S.E.R. Experimental Rocketry