Monday, May 5, 2008
8-12

Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Fermentation of Pretreated Cashew Apple Bagasse with Diluted Sulfuric Acid for Bioethanol Production

Maria Valderez Ponte Rocha1, Tigressa H. S. Rodrigues2, Gorete R. Macedo1, and Luciana R. B. Goncalves2. (1) Chemical Engineering, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Departamento de Engenharia Química da UFRN, Natal, Brazil, (2) Chemical Engineering, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Bloco 709, Fortaleza, Brazil

There has been an increasing in the worldwide interest in alternative, non-petroleum-based sources of energy. The most common renewable fuel today is ethanol produced by fermentation of sucrose in Brazil or corn glucose in the United States. However, these raw material bases will not be sufficient to satisfy the international demand. Consequently, future large-scale use of ethanol will most certainly have to be based on the production from lignocellulosic materials. In the state of Ceará (northeast of Brazil), the cashew agroindustry has an outstanding role in the local economy and cashew apple bagasse (CAB) appears as an alternative raw material for ethanol production. The aim of this work was to optimize the enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose fraction of CAB after diluted acid pretreatment, and to evaluate its fermentation to ethanol using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some variables were investigated, such as: temperature (30, 37 and 45°C) and enzyme source (Celluclast 1.5L and Cellulase – Sigma) and enzyme loading (15 and 30 FPU/g Bagasse). The enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out in 250 mL flasks at 150 rpm and pH 5.0. The hydrolyzed products were used as fermentation medium without any nutritional supplements. Fermentation assay were carried in batch with 200 mL working volume, at 37°C, 150 rpm, pH 5.0, and an initial cell concentration of 5.0 (dry weight)/L. The fermentation of the hydrolyzate of the pretreated CAB with diluted sulfuric acid stands as an excellent alternative for the production of fuel ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass.

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