Feasibility of high-concentration cellulosic bioethanol production from undetoxified whole Monterey pine slurry

Abstract

The economic feasibility of high-concentration cellulosic bioethanol production remains challenging because it requires easily available feedstock and low energy consumption process. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of sulfite pretreated Momentary pine slurry at 20% (w/w) loadings increased ethanol concentration from 59.3 g/L to 68.5 g/L by washing strategy. Effects of inhibitors in pretreatment liquor were further investigated. Besides HMF, furfural and acetic acid, other inhibitors and/or their synergistic effects proved to be responsible for a lower fermentability. To bypass the inhibition and achieve high-efficient bioethanol concentration, a fermentation temperature of 28 °C was optimized for both cell growth and ethanol production. Under the optimal conditions with prehydrolyzed 25% (w/w) whole undetoxified slurry, a high ethanol concentration (up to 82.1 g/L) were produced with a yield of 205 kg/ton Monterey pine in the SSF. Thus, this high cellulosic bioethanol production from Monterey pine makes it a potential strategy for biofuel production.