Scientific Publications
Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of steam exploded duckweed: Improvement of the ethanol yield by increasing yeast titre
Bioresource Technology, 194, 263-269
This study investigated the conversion of cellulose from the cell wall material of Lemna minor to bioethanol. The biomass was pre-treated by steam explosion (SE, 210 °C, 10 min) and then subjected to simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) using Cellic® CTec 2 (20 U or 0.87 FPU g-1 substrate) cellulase plus β-glucosidase (2 U g-1 substrate) and a yeast inoculum of 10 % (v/v or 8.0 × 107 cells mL-1). At a substrate concentration of 1% (w/v) an ethanol yield of 80 % (w/w, theoretical) was achieved. However at a substrate concentration of 20% (w/v), the ethanol yield was lowered to 18.8 % (w/w, theoretical). Yields were considerably improved by increasing the yeast titre in the inoculum or preconditioning the yeast on steam exploded liquor. These approaches enhanced the ethanol yield of up to 70 % (w/w, theoretical) at a substrate concentration of 20 % (w/v) by metabolising fermentation inhibitors.
Bioresource Technology, 194, 263-269
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