Abstract
Bioethanol production has increased in demand as a replacement for conventional fuels. This work studies the use of apple pomace, which corresponds to 45% (w/w) of dehydrated apple production, as a reliable and inexpensive source for bioethanol production. Additionally, the vinasse obtained from the process as a byproduct is analyzed. Apple pomace has important properties for energy purposes, with high soluble sugar (6%–8%), organic compounds and low protein content. The carbohydrates were consumed in 99.3% in 144 h at a temperature of 30 °C and in a yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (YSC) concentration of 0.10 g/L. The bioethanol purity produced, 99.5% (v/v), was quantified by gas chromatography and calorific value (23.21 MJ/kg). This high purity, which fulfills the EN 15376, ASTM D 4806 Standard, allows its use as a fuel and oil additive. Moreover, it can be stated that vinasse obtained from alcohol distillation is a compound that has physicochemical values like other vinasses. Finally, Chile, as the most important exporting country of dehydrated apples in the world, has great potential to take advantage of the use of this raw material for bioethanol and vinasse production.
Highlights
The use of renewable lignocellulosic biomass sources for biofuel production has been proposed as a suitable alternative to address fossil fuel depletion and the mitigation of climate change
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the recovery of agro-industrial apple pomace waste to obtain two products: ethanol and vinasse
The fermentation process reached a stationary stage, where no significant growth was observed. This scenario indicates that pomace juice has a rich composition of nutrients capable of producing bioethanol, making it comparatively similar to the results reported in other studies using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (YSC) [8,13,44]
Summary
It is expected that this type of biofuel does not represent a long-term viable fuel source, since its production requires cultivable land that, in turn, generates conflicts with food/feed use of feedstock [1]. Second-generation biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass, such as crop residues or woody crops (rice straw, corn cob, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse and cotton stalk) are advantageous alternatives in terms of output/input energy ratio, lower costs and high availability [2,3,4]. All the factors mentioned above allow taking advantage of its high concentration of cetanes and its vaporization heat level [5] It is an excellent fuel for future hybrid vehicles since they have a cleaner combustion than fossil fuels [6].
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