Separate Hydrolysis and Fermentation of Sugarcane Tops for Bioethanol Production using Yeasts from Thai Liquor Producer and Commercial Sources.

Separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) of sugarcane tops (SCT) for bioethanol production appears viable and economically feasible, especially in view of ongoing global energy demands. SCTs were pretreated with different hydrolytic substrates such as base (NaOH), acid (H2SO4), and the a-amylase enzyme before being subjected to alcoholic fermentation using distinct yeasts from both commercial and northern Thai liquor (local) sources. The properties of SCT such as biomass composition and physicochemical attributes were investigated. The levels of reducing sugar and bioethanol yields were analyzed during the pretreatment and fermentation stages, respectively. The experimental results showed that hydrolysis with H2SO4 and the a-amylase enzyme yielded a greater amount of reducing sugars compared to NaOH, with reducing sugar content ranging from 28.56-40.10 mg/mL. On the fourteenth day of fermentation, diverse yeasts led to the highest bioethanol yield in the case of commercial yeast (4.29-4.92%) while fermentation with a local yeast resulted in a comparatively lower yield. Notably, the SHF processes involving H2SO4 and a-amylase substrates along with fermentation using commercial yeast, exhibited the most promising potential for converting SCT into bioethanol. This study presents preliminary findings on the separate hydrolysis and fermentation processes of sugarcane tops for bioethanol production. By the way, expanding and increasing the scale in the future presents a feasible opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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