Effect of Temperature On Ethanol Production Yields From Sugar Cane Bagasse Using a Simultaneous Saccharification Fermentation (SSF) Strategy

The world demand for liquid transportation fuels and renewable energy sources to reduce the environmental impacts and our dependence on fossil fuels have encouraged biomass-derived fuels. Bioethanol produced from lignocellulosic wastes has been foreseen economically viable, having a significant potential of becoming an important asset to our daily lives. Interest has grown based on the opportunity to reduce emissions, increase the octane of gasoline and the resolution of the fuel vs. food problem by using these lignocellulosic wastes. In this project, a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation strategy (SSF) was implemented to produce ethanol from sugar cane bagasse. Bioethanol was produced by the hydrolysis of the cellulose fraction of bagasse using an enzyme coctail and fermentation of the glucose after inoculation of the bioreactor with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain called “Montrachet.” The yield of ethanol was determined for two different experimental conditions: (1) temperature of 30°C without pH control, and (2) temperature of 45°C without pH control. The bioethanol yields under these two temperature levels will be analyzed, reported and compared. The long term scope of this project is to optimize SSF conditions (temperature, pH, etc.) in order to achieve the highest ethanol yields from sugar cane bagasse as a renewable source.