Enhancing efficiency in ethanol production from high solid corn stover: Insights into enzymatic hydrolysis parameters and cellulase recovery

Abstract

BackgroundThe simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) at high solid loading is an effective approach to improve the economic feasibility of bioethanol. MethodsIn this study, the high-solid SSCF of superfine grinding corn stover was treated with cheap and readily available deionized water (DW) instead of sodium citrate buffer solution (SCBS). Additionally, the evaluation of temperature, enzyme loading, solid loading, and cellulose recovery were carried out to determine their impact on ethanol production. Significant FindingsThe results of the analysis indicated that replacing SCBS with DW had negligible effects on the SSCF of ethanol and byproducts (acetic acid and glycerol). The ethanol yield increased by 18 % at 35 °C compared to the yield at 30 °C. As enzyme loading increased, more cellulose active sites in corn stover were bound by cellulase, which increased the ethanol yield by improving the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. The SSCF process didn't incorporate any buffer, resulting in an even higher ethanol titer (55.42 g/L). Furthermore, the cellulase productivity increased by 71 % after recovery, compared to the non-recovery. The results indicated that the optimized SSCF process is a potential technique for producing bioethanol on a commercial level because it improves the production efficiency while keeping costs low.