Studies on simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulosic materials using filtered enzyme and whole culture broth

Fossil fuel is non-renewable and a major cause of atmospheric pollution. Moreover, crude oil demand is increasing due to rapid industrialization. These factors renewed interest in the development of biofuel. The natural cellulolytic and xylanolytic fungal isolate Trichoderma sp. SG2 (PTA-120389) is a strong producer of β-glucosidase and is a candidate organism for production of biomass-hydrolyzing enzymes. This study explored simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of biomass to ethanol using cell-free enzymes and whole-broth culture of Trichoderma SG2. In whole broth SSF of switchgrass and waste paper powder, the highest ethanol yield was observed with 5% shredded waste paper followed by 10% switchgrass. Results indicate that whole broth SSF compared with cell-free enzyme SSF is potentially a more cost-effective approach for converting biomass to bioethanol using Trichoderma SG2 enzymes.