Bioethanol Production from Characterized Pre-treated Sugar Cane Trash and Jatropha Agrowastes

Abstract

Abstract Relying on second-generation bioethanol made from lignocellulosic substances is now an imperative goal for the entire world. However, the physical and chemical preparation of this kind of lignocellulosic feedstock is one of the main disadvantages of high ethanol yield. In order to increase the yield of fermentable sugars, pretreatment is an essential process step that alters the lignocellulosic structure and improves its accessibility for the expensive hydrolytic enzymes. In this context, the chemical composition of sugar cane trash (dry leaves, green leaves, and tops) and jatropha (shell and seed cake) was determined to be mainly cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide were applied in an attempt to facilitate the solubilization of lignin and hemicelluloses in five agrowastes. The extraction of hydrogen peroxide was much better than that of sodium hydroxide. A comparative study was done using SEM, EDXA, and FTIR to evaluate the difference between the two methods. The pretreated wastes were subjected to saccharification by commercial cellulases (30 IU/g substrate). The obtained glucose was fortified with nutrients and fermented statically by Saccharomyces cerevisiae F-307 for bioethanol production. The results revealed the bioethanol yields were 325.4, 310.8, 282.9,302.4, and 264.0 mg ethanol/g treated agrowastes from green leaves of sugar cane, jatropha deolied seed cake, tops sugar cane, dry leaves of sugar cane, and jatropha shell, respectively.