3-09: Simultaneous Saccharification, Filtration and Fermentation (SSFF) for Lignocellulosic ethanol production

Monday, April 29, 2013
Exhibit Hall
Mofoluwake M. Ishola, Tomas Brandberg and Mohammad J. Taherzadeh, School of Engineering, University of Borås, Borås, Sweden
A novel method of bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass “Simultaneous Saccharification Filtration and Fermentation (SSFF)” was developed and examined. SSFF is an integrated process which combines the advantages of both Separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) together. The process involves simultaneous enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulosic material, cross-flow filtration of the enzymatically treated suspension and fermentation of the sugar-rich filtrate with flocculating strain of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as fermenting organism in a continuous process. The individual units of the SSFF integrated process was examined, and compared with SSF for a slurry of 10% SS (suspended solids) of pretreated lignocelluloses. Capacity tests were performed on the fermentation unit as well. Slurries of up to 14% SS could be pumped through the cross-flow filter membrane module without clogging the module. The yeast strain used was able to efficiently consume the glucose from the hydrolysis passed through the filtration effectively. SSFF cultivations resulted in an ethanol yield of 85% of the theoretical yield, and the flocculating yeast was effectively reused for 5 different batches of SSFF. Our new process of SSFF has the potential to be used in industrial lignocellulosic ethanol production.