doiSerbia

A microwave-assisted liquefaction as a pretreatment for the bioethanol production by the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of corn meal

Nikolić Svetlana (Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade)
Mojović Ljiljana (Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade)
Rakin Marica (Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade)
Pejin Dušanka (Faculty of Technology, Novi Sad)
Savić Dragiša (Faculty of Technology, Niš)

A microwave-assisted liquefaction as a pretreatment for the bioethanol production by the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of corn meal using Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus yeast in a batch system was studied. An optimal power of microwaves of 80 W and the 5-min duration of the microwave treatment were selected by following the concentration of glucose released from the corn meal suspensions at hidromodul of 1:3 (corn meal to water ratio) in the liquefaction step. The results indicated that the microwave pretreatment could increase the maximum ethanol concentration produced in the SSF process for 13.4 %. Consequently, a significant increase of the ethanol productivity on substrate (YP/S), as well as the volumetric ethanol productivity (P) in this process, could be achieved.

Keywords: bioethanol, microwaves, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus, corn meal