Effects of Fermentation Duration on Bio-Ethanol Yield from Cell Sap of Selected Palm Species in Nigeria

Abstract

It is believed that feedstock for biofuel production should not constitute any form of competition in terms of food security, therefore the study considered the bioethanol potential comparison of a particular breed of palm commonly referred to as nypa palm (Nypa fruticana) which is usually of environmental concern in mangrove vegetation zones with two other species namely the raphia palm (Raphia hookeria) and oil palm (Ealasis guinesis) which are considered as having economic value. A catalysed fermentation process was carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae over a periods of 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144 and 168 hrs at room temperature. At peak production the bioethanol from Nypa palm specie had 38.6 and 37.9% more ethanol concentration than the oil and raffia palms respectively. The biomas concentration in the nypa palm sap sample after the fermentation period were about 26.7 and 29.5% higher than what was obtainable in the oil and raffia palms. The fermentation efficiency for the three samples was observed to be 90.2, 84.5 and 87.3% for nypa, oil and raffia palms respectively. It can be concluded from results obtained that nypa palm offered the highest bioethanol production potential, thus could offer a good source of non-competitive feedstock for renewable energy production in Nigeria where the plant is usually viewed as an environmental nuisance and in some extreme cases maritime hazard.Keywords— Alcoholmeter, Bioethanol, Fermentation Efficiency, Feed Stock, Nypa Palm