Abstract
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) biomass is an ideal feedstock for bioethanol production as it is rich in hemicelluloses and the lignin content is low. This feedstock is, therefore, a good source of reducing sugars (C5 and C6). Water hyacinth plants were collected from five sites selected along the river Yamuna: A. Okhla West; B. Okhla East; C. Okhla Barrage; D. Najafgarh Drain; E. DND Flyover. As feedstock plants growing in different conditions of water quality in Delhi exhibited different sugar content, a comparative study reveals that plants from site A (Okhla West) possessed maximum reducing sugar content. The sugar content in plants growing in different sites was: A>B>C>D>E. Maximum saccharification (sugar extraction) was obtained after 3% sulfuric acid pretreatment for 1.5 hours at 121°C. Optimization of acid pretreatment helps in breaking strong linkages between hemicellulose and lignin, thereby making the feedstock more accessible for further enzymatic hydrolysis.
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