Fermentation of paddy straw and fruit wastes for bioethanol production

Abstract

A study was carried out for bioethanol production from alkali (2.0% NaOH) pretreated paddy straw by simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida sp. The paddy straw was pretreated with 2.0% NaOH by autoclaving at 15 psi for 1 h to degrade the lignin matrix. Mixed fruit solid wastes were used for enhancement of ethanol production from paddy straw. Effect of mixed fruit peel with paddy straw hydrolysate on yield of ethanol was investigated. The addition of mixed fruit peel during fermentation enhanced the quantity of ethanol produced. Different nutrient supplements were also used to carry out for ethanol production. The fermented paddy straw hydrolyzate with 0.3% urea and mixed fruit (apple and pomegranate) peel yielded ethanol content of 2.2 to 3.1% (v/v). The ethanol production increased with the progression of fermentation and reached the maximum value after 7 days of fermentation.