Kinetic analysis of Fe(II)-promoted ethanol preparation from cornstalks

Abstract

This paper presents a kinetic study of fuel grade ethanol production by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation from Fe(II)-catalyzed cornstalks. The study observed the optimal conditions of ethanol production as: inoculation proportion (ratio of Pachysolen tannophilus to Saccharomyces cerevisiae) 2:1, fermentation temperature 32 °C, inoculation quantity 20%, addition amount of Fe2+ 4 mg/g (substrate), and cellulase dosage 30 U/g (substrate). An ethanol yield of 0.335 mg/g was obtained from cornstalks pretreated using liquefaction under optimum conditions. A 30.4% increase in the yield was observed when compared with the control group without the addition of Fe2+. The relationship between ethanol yield and fermentation time could be described through a Langmuir isotherm model. The findings of this study will help researchers better understand and describe the complex characteristics of ethanol production from cornstalks with Fe2+ promoter, which will be very useful in improving production yields.