Ethanol Yield Research Articles

Bioethanol production from dilute acid hydrolysis of cassava peels, sugar beet pulp, and green macroalgae (Ulva lactuca)

This study presents the characterization and application of different pretreatment possibilities to optimize simple carbohydrate production from representative feedstock, followed by ethanol production through optimized saccharification steps using suitable microorganisms. Total soluble carbohydrates and carbohydrate yield were evaluated using dilute acid hydrolysis of biomass and reference materials (starch and cellulose) under different conditions. To explore two-factor interactions, the Plackett-Burman design of experiments was used in the statistical screening of variables and then transformed to a full-factorial design based on the significant variables. According to the experimental findings, dilute acid hydrolysis can yield a considerable amount of soluble carbohydrates. The goodness of fit of the model was evaluated using the coefficient of determination. The optimized carbohydrate yields of the biomass were 0.76 g/g cassava peels, 0.35 g/g sugar beet pulp, and 0.36 g/g green macroalgae. Bioethanol production from optimized hydrolysis conditions using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Scheffersomyces stipitis DSM 3651, led to a maximum ethanol yield of 0.286 g/g from cassava peels and 0.033 g/g from sugar beet pulp, while using Neurospora intermedia DSM 1265 led to a maximum ethanol yield of 0.076 g/g from green macroalgae. Hence, these biomasses are considered valuable feedstock for bioethanol production with cassava peels having the highest potential.

Transcriptional Analysis of Mixed-Culture Fermentation of Lachancea thermotolerans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Natural Fruity Sour Beer

Increasingly high interest in yeast–yeast interactions in mixed-culture fermentation is seen along with beer consumers’ demands driving both market growth and requests for biotechnological solutions that can provide better sensory characteristics. In this study, Lachancea thermotolerans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a cell population ratio of 10:1 were inoculated for sour beer fermentation while the process conditions within the brewing industry remained unchanged. With L. thermotolerans producing lactic acid (1.5–1.8 g/L) and bringing down the pH to 3.3–3.4 whilst adding no foreign flavors herein, this study revealed a new natural, fruity sour beer with a soft, sour taste. In this study, the double-yeast mixed-culture fermentation produced more flavor substances than a single-culture process, and plenty of isobutyl acetate and isoamyl acetate enhanced the fruit aroma and balanced the sour beer with a refreshing taste. While playing a positive role in improving the beer’s quality, the double-yeast mixed-culture fermentation developed in this study helps to offer an alternative mass production solution for producing sour beer with the processes better controlled and the fermentation time reduced. The stress responses of the L. thermotolerans during the fermentation were revealed by integrating RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and metabolite data. Given that the metabolic flux distribution of the S. cerevisiae during the fermentation differed from that of the non-Saccharomyces yeasts, transcriptional analysis of non-Saccharomyces yeast and S. cerevisiae could be suitable in helping to develop strategies to modulate the transcriptional responses of specific genes that are associated with the aroma compounds released by S. cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeasts. In the case of some non-Saccharomyces yeast species/strains, the diversion of alcoholic fermentation and the formation of a great number of secondary compounds may, in part, account for the low ethanol yield.

Regulation of the PFK1 gene on the interspecies microbial competition behavior of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a widely used strain for ethanol fermentation; meanwhile, efficient utilization of glucose could effectively promote ethanol production. The PFK1 gene is a key gene for intracellular glucose metabolism in S. cerevisiae. Our previous work suggested that although deletion of the PFK1 gene could confer higher oxidative tolerance to S. cerevisiae cells, the PFK1Δ strain was prone to contamination by other microorganisms. High interspecies microbial competition ability is vital for the growth and survival of microorganisms in co-cultures. The result of our previous studies hinted us a reasonable logic that the EMP (i.e., the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway, the glycolytic pathway) key gene PFK1 could be involved in regulating interspecies competitiveness of S. cerevisiae through the regulation of glucose utilization and ethanol production efficiency. The results suggest that under 2% and 5% glucose, the PFK1Δ strain showed slower growth than the S288c wild-type and TDH1Δ strains in the lag and exponential growth stages, but realized higher growth in the stationary stage. However, relative high supplement of glucose (10%) eliminated this phenomenon, suggesting the importance of glucose in the regulation of PFK1 in yeast cell growth. Furthermore, during the lag growth phase, the PFK1Δ strain displayed a decelerated glucose consumption rate (P < 0.05). The expression levels of the HXT2, HXT5, and HXT6 genes decreased by approximately 0.5-fold (P < 0.05) and the expression level of the ZWF1 exhibited a onefold increase in the PFK1Δ strain compared to that in the S. cerevisiae S288c wild-type strain (P < 0.05).These findings suggested that the PFK1 inhibited the uptake and utilization of intracellular glucose by yeast cells, resulting in a higher amount of residual glucose in the medium for the PFK1Δ strain to utilize for growth during the reverse overshoot stage in the stationary phase. The results presented here also indicated the potential of ethanol as a defensive weapon against S. cerevisiae. The lower ethanol yield in the early stage of the PFK1Δ strain (P < 0.001) and the decreased expression levels of the PDC5 and PDC6 (P < 0.05), which led to slower growth, resulted in the strain being less competitive than the wild-type strain when co-cultured with Escherichia coli. The lower interspecies competitiveness of the PFK1Δ strain further promoted the growth of co-cultured E. coli, which in turn activated the ethanol production efficiency of the PFK1Δ strain to antagonize it from E. coli at the stationary stage. The results presented clarified the regulation of the PFK1 gene on the growth and interspecies microbial competition behavior of S. cerevisiae and would help us to understand the microbial interactions between S. cerevisiae and other microorganisms.Key points• PFK1Δ strain could realize reverse growth overshoot at the stationary stage• PFK1 deletion decreased ethanol yield and interspecific competitiveness• Proportion of E. coli in co-culture affected ethanol yield capacity of yeast cells

Development of a new renewable energy system for clean hydrogen and ethanol production

The present research work aims to present a uniquely designed renewable energy-based integrated system along with an equilibrium model for the processing of feedstock by following a hybrid route of thermochemical and biochemical ways. In this regard, Canadian maple leaves and plastic wastes are selected as potential feedstocks for co-pyrolysis and syngas fermentation. The influence of co-pyrolysis process parameters on the overall system performance is investigated and assessed. Also, several sensitivity analyses are performed to determine the optimal operating parameters that can generate maximum yields of hydrogen and ethanol. The present system is further investigated thermodynamically in terms of energetic and exergetic approaches and efficiencies. The present study shows that a molar flow ratio of 1:1 for maple leaves to plastic wastes, a temperature of 1000°C temperature, and a pressure of 1 bar appear to be the most suitable operating conditions with the net production capacities of 7.43 tons/day for hydrogen and 8.72 tons/day for ethanol. The cold gas efficiency and LHV of the syngas produced are found to be 57.23% and 19.96 MJ/kg, respectively. The overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies of the present system are found to be 30.98% and 26.88%, respectively.

Recovery of sulfuric acid during sugar purification from pretreated wheat straw hydrolysate using electro-electrodialysis system for 2G bioethanol production

Concentrated acid hydrolysis (CAH) of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is an established method to obtain a near theoretical yield of monomeric sugars from the biomass. The CAH process produced 83.23 % of glucose from pretreated wheat straw (PWS) at optimum conditions (i.e., stage I = 74 % w/w acid, 1:2 biomass loading, and 50 °C for 1 h; and stage II = 30 % w/w acid, 90 °C for 2 h). However, the separation of sugar from acidic hydrolysate is a major constraint of this technology. In this study, an electro-electrodialysis (EED) process using a novel anion exchange membrane (AEM) has been developed to recover sulfuric acid from biomass hydrolysate. The synthetic hydrolysate (i.e., feed acid concentration = 2 M; glucose = 80 g L−1) was used to optimize the EED process parameters. The acid was successfully recovered from alkali pretreated wheat straw (PWS) hydrolysate using the most effective EED process parameters. This resulted in an 82.72 % acid recovery in the permeate under the following conditions: current density of 88 mA cm−2, flow rate of 3 L h−1, and feed acid content of 2 M. During the EED process, the highest glucose recovery in the feed was 90.98 %, achieved with a maximum current efficiency of 93.57 % and the lowest energy consumption of 0.052 kW h mol−1 at optimal conditions using PWS Hydrolysate. Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermented the acid-free PWS hydrolysate, resulting in a maximum ethanol yield of 92.3 %. The EED process cost of $0.049 kg H2SO4−1 and total revenue was $0.02 kg biomass−1 from the second batch onwards suggest the feasibility of the EED process for large-scale 2G bioethanol productions.

Bioethanol Production from Characterized Pre-treated Sugarcane Trash and Jatropha Agrowastes

Low production costs and a potential feedstock supply make lignocellulosic ethanol (bioethanol) an important source of advanced biofuels. The physical and chemical preparation of this kind of lignocellulosic feedstock led to a high ethanol yield. In order to increase the yield of fermentable sugars, pretreatment is an essential process step that alters the lignocellulosic structure and improves its accessibility for the expensive hydrolytic enzymes. In this context, the chemical composition of sugarcane trash (dry leaves, green leaves, and tops) and jatropha (shell and seed cake) was determined to be mainly cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide were applied in an attempt to facilitate the solubilization of lignin and hemicelluloses in five agrowastes. The extraction of hydrogen peroxide was much better than that of sodium hydroxide. A comparative study was done using SEM, EDXA, and FTIR to evaluate the difference between the two methods. The pretreated wastes were subjected to saccharification by commercial cellulases (30 IU/g substrate). The obtained glucose was fortified with nutrients and fermented statically by Saccharomyces cerevisiae F-307 for bioethanol production. The results revealed the bioethanol yields were 325.4, 310.8, 282.9, 302.4 and 264.0 mg ethanol/g treated agrowastes from green leaves of sugarcane, jatropha deolied seed cake, tops sugarcane, dry leaves of sugarcane, and jatropha shell, respectively. This study emphasizes the value of lignocellulosic agricultural waste as a resource for the production of biofuels as well as the significance of the extraction process.

Imidazole as a new strategy in the lignocellulosic pretreatment: An application in corn sub-products with a focus on bioenergy production

To enhance the efficiency of pretreatment processes for lignocellulosic biomass, this study utilized the green solvent imidazole to pretreat residual corn biomass (corn straw (CS) and corncob (CC)) with a focus on cellulose recovery for ethanol production. The pretreatment involved varying temperatures (ranging from 120 to 180 °C) and times (30 and 60 min) with biomass:imidazole ratio of 1:9 (w.w−1). The effects of imidazole pretreatment on the biomasses were examined by analyzing the chemical composition, surface morphology, cellulose crystallinity, and compositional changes. The results demonstrated a significant alteration of the lignocellulosic complex due to imidazole pretreatment, resulting in a reduction of the lignin content, reaching 81.47 % and 74 % for CS (180°C-60min) and CC (180°C-30min), respectively. Moreover, the cellulose content in the pretreated solids increased by approximately 1.5 times compared to the raw biomass. The pretreated biomasses were subjected to enzyme hydrolysis (after pretreated at a higher temperature (150–180 °C)), which led to a high glucose yield. CC achieved a glucose yield of 100 %, while CS yielded 77 %. Alcoholic fermentation was carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae CAT-1, resulting in an ethanol yield of 82 % in 12 h for CC (180 °C for 30 min) and 66 % for CS (150 °C for 1 h).

Specific activity and utility of recombinant cellobiohydrolase II (Cel6A) produced in maize endosperm.

Cellobiohydrolase II (CBH II) is an exo-glucanase that is part of a fungal mixture of enzymes from a wood-rot fungus, Trichoderma reesei. It is therefore difficult to purify and to establish a specific activity assay. The gene for this enzyme, driven by the rice Os glutelin promoter, was transformed into High II tissue culture competent corn, and the enzyme accumulated in the endosperm of the seed. The transgenic line recovered from tissue culture was bred into male and female elite Stine inbred corn lines, stiff stalk 16083-025 (female) and Lancaster MSO411 (male), for future production in their hybrid. The enzyme increases its accumulation throughout its 6 generations of back crosses, 27-266-fold between T1 and T2, and 2-10-fold between T2 and T3 generations with lesser increases in T4-T6. The germplasm of the inbred lines replaces the tissue culture corn variety germplasm with each generation, with the ultimate goal of producing a high-yielding hybrid with the transgene. The CBH II enzyme was purified from T5 inbred male grain 10-fold to homogeneity with 47.5% recovery. The specific activity was determined to be 1.544 units per µg protein. The corn-derived CBH II works in biopolishing of cotton by removing surface fibers to improve dyeability and increasing glucose from corn flour for increasing ethanol yield from starch-based first-generation processes.

Efficient ethanol production from masson pine sawdust by various organosolv pretreatment and modified pre-hydrolysis simultaneous saccharification and fermentation

Pretreatment is a key step in lignocellulosic biorefinery. In this study, the combination of organosolv pretreatment and lignin repolymerization inhibitor was put forward to fractionate the lignocellulosic biomass, providing readily hydrolyzed substrate. Results showed that, acidic 1,4-butanediol pretreatment extensively removed lignin from softwood, reducing the physical blockage effect of lignin. Besides, lignin repolymerization inhibitors were employed to modify lignin, giving rise to lower unproductive binding effect of lignin. As a result, maximum 79.9 ± 0.3 % of original lignin in raw biomass could be removed, and 97.9 ± 0.5 % of glucan in pretreated solid could be converted into fermentable sugars after acidic butanediol pretreatment assisted by sodium 2-naphthol-7-sulphonate and enzymatic hydrolysis at 2 % glucan loading. Furthermore, a modified pre-hysrolysis simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process at 10 % glucan loading produced 45.6 ± 1.7 g/L ethanol, with ethanol yield of 18.7 ± 0.4 g/100 g raw biomass. Finally, the mass balance revealed that the lignocellulosic biorefinery based on acidic butanediol pretreatment assisted by sodium 2-naphthol-7-sulphonate could achieve full utilization of lignocellulosic components to co-produce ethanol, lignin materials and hemicellulose-derived mono-saccharides.

Cellulose-coated emulsion micro-particles self-assemble with yeasts for cellulose bio-conversion

In the quest for alternative renewable energy sources, a new self-assembled hybrid configuration of cellulose-coated oil-in-water emulsion particles with yeast was formed. In this research, the addition of yeasts (S. cerevisiae) to the micro-particle emulsion revealed a novel self-assembly configuration in which the yeast cell is connected to surrounding cellulose-coated micro-particles. This hybrid configuration may enhance the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process by substrate channeling. Glucose produced by hydrolysis of the cellulose shells coating the micro-particles, catalyzed by cellulytic enzymes attached to their coating, is directly fermented to ethanol by the yeasts to which the particles are connected. The results indicate ethanol yield of 62%, based on the cellulose content of the emulsion, achieved by the yeast/micro-particle hybrids. The functionality of this hybrid configuration is expected to serve as a micro-reactor for a cascade of biochemical reactions in a “one-pot” consolidated process transforming cellulose to valuable chemicals, such as biodiesel.

Carbon footprint of four bioethanol cropping systems in a temperate region

Under the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC), estimating biofuel GHG emissions is essential to gauge emissions reductions compared to fossil fuels. Within this framework, the carbon footprint (CF) was calculated for four bioethanol cropping systems: a maize-wheat-sorghum rotation without the harvest of crop residues (MWS), a maize-wheat-sorghum rotation with harvested crop residues (MWS-R), switchgrass (Sw), and continuous sweet sorghum (Ss). The estimation followed a life-cycle analysis strategy. The CF varied between 0.04 and 3.68 kg CO2-eq l − 1 ethanol. Switchgrass had the smallest CF and the highest ethanol yield per hectare (4,263 L [ha yr] − 1). However, for annual systems, Ss had the highest CF (3.68 kg CO2-eq l − 1 ethanol), 2 and 4 times larger than MWS-R and MWS systems. The soil preparation, planting, and post-planting emissions were 80% of the mean emissions in the annual cropping systems. By comparison, 60% of Sw’s CF came from post-planting, and 46% from fertilizers. In Sw, soil erosion accounted for 11% of the soil organic carbon lost in the MWS-R and Ss systems. In addition, Sw was the system with the most significant carbon sequestration (−1,957 kg CO2-eq [ha yr − 1]), a value corresponding to 94% of the CF of this bioethanol cropping system.

Study of the effect of calcium signal participating in the antioxidant mechanism of yeast under high-sugar environment.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is susceptible to high-sugar stress in the production of bioethanol, wine and bread. Calcium signal is widely involved in various physiological and metabolic activities of cells. The present study aimed to explore the effects of Ca2+ signal on the antioxidant mechanism of yeast during high-sugar fermentation. Compared to yeast without available Ca2+, yeast in the high glucose with Ca2+ group had higher dry weight, higher ethanol output at 12 and 24 h and higher glycerol output at 24 and 36 h. During the whole growth process, the trehalose synthesis capacity of yeast in the high glucose with Ca2+ group was lower and intracellular reactive oxygen species content was higher compared to yeast without available Ca2+. Intracellular malondialdehyde content of yeast under high glucose with Ca2+ was significantly lower than yeast under high glucose without available Ca2+ except for 6 h. The superoxide dismutase and catalase activities of yeast and glutathione content were higher in the high glucose with Ca2+ group compared to yeast in high glucose without available Ca2+. The expression levels of SOD1, GSH1, GPX2 genes were higher for high glucose without available Ca2+ at 6 h, while yeast in the high glucose with Ca2+ group had a higher expression of antioxidant-related genes except SOD1 and CTT1 at 12 h. The expression levels of antioxidant-related genes of yeast for high glucose with Ca2+ were higher at 24 h, and those of genes except SOD1 of yeast in the high glucose with Ca2+ group were higher at 36 h. High-glucose stress limited the growth of yeast, while a moderate extracellular Ca2+ signal could improve the antioxidant capacity of yeast in a high-glucose environment by regulating protectant metabolism and enhancing the antioxidant enzyme activity and expression of antioxidant genes in a high-sugar environment. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Catalytic action of hydronium-ion in rice straw pretreatment and enhancement of enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol production

The present investigation will focus on the catalytic effect of hydronium ion during liquid-water/ dilute sulfuric acid/ferric chloride pretreatment (LWP/ SAP/ FCP) on the hydrolysate and pretreated rice straw. The overall pretreatment process has been represented as a sequential catalytic reactions. The temperature range of pretreatment is varied in the range of 140–180 °C and the concentration of dilute sulfuric acid and ferric chloride is 0.1 M. The first order rate constants of xylan and glucan degradation have been determined for LWP/ SAP/ FCP. The maximum xylan and glucan conversion of 96.8% w/wand 31.4%w/w respectively are achieved for FCP at 180 °C. Xylose, glucose, furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, acetic acid and formic acid appear as the main products for all pretreatments. Only in case of FCP levulinic acid also appears as a hydrolysis product. The thermal characteristics, functional groups, crystallinity, surface morphology of untreated and pretreated rice straw have been evaluated. Among all pretreatment processes under study, the highest values of glucose yield of 78.96% (w/w) using enzymatic hydrolysis and 83.79% of theoretical yield of ethanol using Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been achieved for ferric chloride pretreatment.

Insights into intraspecific diversity of central carbon metabolites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during wine fermentation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a major actor in winemaking that converts sugars from the grape must into ethanol and CO2 with outstanding efficiency. Primary metabolites produced during fermentation have a great importance in wine. While ethanol content contributes to the overall profile, other metabolites like glycerol, succinate, acetate or lactate also have significant impacts, even when present in lower concentrations. S. cerevisiae is known for its great genetic diversity that is related to its natural or technological environment. However, the variation range of metabolic diversity which can be exploited to enhance wine quality depends on the pathway considered. Our experiment assessed the diversity of primary metabolites production in a set of 51 S. cerevisiae strains from various genetic backgrounds. Results pointed out great yield differences depending on the metabolite considered, with ethanol having the lowest variation. A negative correlation between ethanol and glycerol was observed, confirming glycerol synthesis as a suitable lever to reduce ethanol yield. Genetic groups were linked to specific yields, such as the wine group and high α-ketoglutarate and low acetate yields. This research highlights the potential of using natural yeast diversity in winemaking. It also provides a detailed data set on production of well known (ethanol, glycerol, acetate) or little-known (lactate) primary metabolites.

Optimization of the Conditions for the Growth and Ethanol Production of Strain Bacillus sp. EtOH

Numerous factors can influence the growth, reproduction, and metabolism of microbes, which influence the yield and production cost. Bacillus sp. EtOH is a bacterial strain with a high yield of ethanol. In this paper, medium of Bacillus sp. EtOH was optimized. Different carbon/nitrogen sources were investigated, and the best carbon source (sucrose) and nitrogen source (ammonium sulfate) were determined to improve ethanol production. In addition, the best initial pH, temperature, and inoculation volume were 7, 37 °C and 1%, respectively. This study will be conducive to the subsequent ethanol fermentation, and improve application level of Bacillus sp. EtOH.

Cellulolytic and Ethanologenic Evaluation of Heterotermes indicola's Gut-Associated Bacterial Isolates.

Cellulose is the basic component of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) making it a suitable substrate for bioethanol fermentation. Cellulolytic and ethanologenic bacteria possess cellulases that convert cellulose to glucose, which in turn yields ethanol subsequently. Heterotermes indicola is a subterranean termite that causes destructive damage by consuming wooden structures of infrastructure, LCB products, etc. Prospectively, the study envisioned the screening of cellulolytic and ethanologenic bacteria from the termite gut. Twenty six bacterial strains (H1-H26) based on varied colonial morphologies were isolated. Bacterial cellulolytic activity was tested biochemically. Marked gas production in the form of bubbles (0.1-4 cm) in Durham tubes was observed in H3, H7, H13, H15, H17, H21, and H22. Sugar degradation of all isolates was indicated by pink to maroon color development with the tetrazolium salt. Hallow zones (0.42-11 mm) by Congo red staining was exhibited by all strains except H2, H7, H8, and H19. Among the 26 bacterial isolates, 12 strains were identified as efficient cellulolytic bacteria. CMCase activity and ethanol titer of all isolates varied from 1.30 ± 0.03 (H13) to 1.83 ± 0.01 (H21) umol/mL/min and 2.36 ± 0.01 (H25) to 7.00 ± 0.01 (H21) g/L, respectively. Likewise, isolate H21 exhibited an ethanol yield of 0.40 ± 0.10 g/g with 78.38 ± 2.05% fermentation efficiency. Molecular characterization of four strains, Staphylococcus sp. H13, Acinetobacter baumanni H17, Acinetobacter sp. H21, and Acinetobacter nosocomialis H22, were based on the maximum cellulolytic index and the ethanol yield. H. indicola harbor promising and novel bacteria with a natural cellulolytic tendency for efficient bioconversion of LCB to value-added products. Hence, the selected cellulolytic bacteria can become an excellent addition for use in enzyme purification, composting, and production of biofuel at large.

The promoting effect of electron beam irradiation on enzymatic saccharification and alcohol fermentation of sorghum meal: Related mechanisms

In this study, sorghum meal underwent 2–10 kGy electron beam irradiation (EBI) to investigate alterations in its elemental composition, relevant physicochemical characteristics, and enzymatic hydrolysis fermentation properties. The results indicated a decrease in amylose content and an increase in reducing sugar content in sorghum meal after EBI, along with severe damage to the internal structure of starch granules, leading to increased solubility in water. Furthermore, irradiation enhanced the shear resistance and gelatinization stability of sorghum meal paste. Most importantly, EBI-induced degradation of sorghum starch molecules enhanced their susceptibility to interact with α-amylase, significantly improving the enzymatic hydrolysis and alcohol fermentation efficiency of sorghum meal. At an irradiation dose of 8 kGy, raw and cooked sorghum meal exhibited a 43.40% and 33.33% increase in ethanol concentration and a 43.44% and 30.29% increase in ethanol yield, respectively. This finding indicated that irradiation is an effective pretreatment method for starch-based ethanol fermentation.

Comparative Analysis of Acidic and Alkaline Pretreatment Techniques for Bioethanol Production from Perennial Grasses

This review paper examines acid and alkaline pretreatments on perennial grasses for second-generation (2G) bioethanol production, a relatively unexplored area in this field. It compares the efficiency of these pretreatments in producing fermentable sugar and bioethanol yield. This study finds that alkaline pretreatment is more effective than acidic pretreatment in removing lignin and increasing sugar yield, leading to higher ethanol yields. However, it is costlier and requires longer reaction times than acidic pretreatment, while acidic pretreatment often leads to the formation of inhibitory compounds at higher temperatures, which is undesirable. The economic and environmental impacts of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) are also assessed. It is revealed that LCB has a lower carbon but higher water footprint and significant costs due to pretreatment compared to first-generation biofuels. This review further explores artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies in optimizing bioethanol production and identified the gap in literature regarding their application to pretreatment of perennial grasses. This review concludes that although perennial grasses hold promise for 2G bioethanol, the high costs and environmental challenges associated with LCB necessitate further research. This research should focus on integrating AI to optimize the pretreatment of LCB, thereby improving efficiency and sustainability in 2G biofuel production.

Polarized hydroxyapatite, a ceramic nanocatalyst to convert automotive carbon emissions into ethanol

This paper is aimed to develop ultrananoporous polarized hydroxyapatite (HAp) catalyst and evaluate its performance in transforming CO2 into useable ethanol considering three different scenarios: 1) a batch reaction using a mixture of CO2 and CH4 as feeding gas; 2) a batch reaction using as reactant exhaust gases captured from the fumes of diesel vehicles; and 3) a continuous flow reaction using pure CO2 as feeding gas. Ultrananoporous HAp scaffolds were prepared using a four-step process: 1) as prepared HAp powder was mixed with 60% wt. of a commercial hydrogel at low-temperature; 2) the resulting paste was shaped at low temperature to reduce the adhesion between the metallic tools and the mixture, enhancing the homogeneity of the sample; 3) the shaped paste was calcined in air by applying 1000 ºC during 2 h to eliminate the hydrogel; and 4) an external DC electric field of 3 kV/cm was imposed at 1000 ºC during 1 h to the calcined scaffold. The resulting polarized scaffolds both ultrananoporosity and catalytic activation. Thus, the mass: volume ratio of the ultrananoporous catalyst was much lower than that of conventional HAp catalyst (718 vs 5093 g/L. Furthermore, the ethanol yield was much higher (up to a factor of ×21.4) for the ultrananoporous catalyst than for the compact one, allowing us to conclude that ultrananoporous polarized HAp catalyst is a promising technology for transforming CO2 into valuable chemical products from highly polluted gases, especially those coming from road, sea and air transport.

Sweet Sorghum for Biofuel Production in Sub-Tropical India

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), a sugar crop with wider adaptation and high potential for bioenergy and ethanol production is expected to meet food, feed, fodder, fuel and fibre demands. It produces high biomass (50-80 t/ha) and alcohol (1500-2800 l/ha) and multiple income opportunities exist with this crop. Some sweet sorghum lines attain juice yields of about 78% of total plant biomass, containing from 15 to 23% soluble fermentable sugars which are composed mainly of sucrose (70–80%), fructose and glucose. Due to its short growing period (3-4 months), it could be cultivated and supplied during the lean period of sugarcane crushing thus extending the crushing period before and after sugarcane crushing and stretch the sugar mill operation. The major advantage with this crop is that no CAPEX is required when used in a sugar mill system as same machinery can be used for crushing and fermentation. It will help farmers to fetch additional income and provide an opportunity for better utilization of industrial facilities during sugarcane off-season. Promising sweet sorghum genotypes developed by ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad are being tested for their suitability to sub-tropical conditions in February and June-July plantings at the NSI, Kanpur to establish a sustainable cropping system. Five sweet sorghum genotypes were tested during kharif 2021 for sweet sorghum productivity traits. The fresh stalk yield ranged from 45-60 t/ha and based on TRS, maximum alcohol percentage in wash was observed in three varieties, i.e., Phule Vasundhara, CSH 22SS and SSV 74 which was 8.4%, 8.38% and 7.8% respectively. Maximum ethanol yield of 53.05 L/T was recorded in CSH 22 SS followed by SSV 74 (50.93 L/T). Phule Vasundhara, with a highest stalk yield of 60 t/ha recorded highest ethanol content of 2837 L/ha followed by CSH 22SS (2780 L/ha) and SSV 74 (2411 L/ha).