Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The process for the production of lignocellulosic biofuel includes various sequential energy intensive stages like storage of biomass, thermochemical pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation. In the current study, an integrated storage and pretreatment method is investigated to get maximum ethanol yield in a single step process. A special 100 ml bioreactor was designed in which the thermochemical pretreatment (TCP) of wheat straw and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) were performed. The ethanol production process was developed for wheat straw that was stored for one month at two different low temperatures with two different fungal species (Pichia anomala and Pichia stipitis) and a co-culture of both.
Pichia stipitis inoculated wheat straw at low temperature gave 40.30% higher ethanol as compared to dry wheat straw after 96 hours SSF while a mixed culture of both species gave second highest value as compared to control. 30 minute TCP enabled higher ethanol yield (g/g)than it was obtained after 120 minute TCP, indicating less production of inhibitors during shorter TCP.