Monday, May 5, 2008
7-08

Cell Immobilization Application on the Ethanol Production

Aurea Victoria Alarcón-Elias, Enrique Duran-Paramo, Cesar Agustin Jimenez-Sierra, and Gustavo Valencia Del Toro. Bioprocess Department, UPIBI- NATIONAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, AVE. ACUEDUCTO S/N, LA LAGUNA TICOMAN, Mexico City, 07340, Mexico

We have studied the ethanol production by a strain of Zymomonas mobilis using several culture media containing starch obtained from two different sources. The raw material used was yucca and sweet potato. We have focused our research on the chemical and enzymatic hidrolysis as a pretreatment of the raw material for the production of fermentable sugars.
 On the other hand, we have studied the ethanol production using two different culture system: batch culture and cell package culture in a column bioreactor. Fermentations were carried on with free and immobilized Zymomonas mobilis cells in a New Brunswick  Bioflo 2 L bioreactor.

 The main results on the chemical and enzymatic hidrolysis of the raw material and on the fermentation system used in order to produce ethanol are described in this work.