Journal Article

Efficient chemical and enzymatic saccharification of the lignocellulosic residue from Agave tequilana bagasse to produce ethanol by Pichia caribbica

Saucedo-Luna, Jaime, Martinez-Pacheco, Mauro Manuel, Campos-Garcia, Jesus, Castro-Montoya, Agustin Jaime, Sosa-Aguirre, Carlos Ruben

2011

Overview

Bagasse of Agave tequilana (BAT) is the residual lignocellulosic waste that remains from tequila production. In this study we characterized the chemical composition of BAT, which was further saccharified and fermented to produce ethanol. BAT was constituted by cellulose (42%), hemicellulose (20%), lignin (15%), and other (23%). Saccharification of BAT was carried out at 147°C with 2% sulfuric acid for 15 min, yielding 25.8 g/l of fermentable sugars, corresponding to 36.1% of saccharificable material (cellulose and hemicellulose contents, w/w). The remaining lignocellulosic material was further hydrolyzed by commercial enzymes, ~8.2% of BAT load was incubated for 72 h at 40°C rendering 41 g/l of fermentable sugars corresponding to 73.6% of the saccharificable material (w/w). Mathematic surface response analysis of the acid and enzymatic BAT hydrolysis was used for process optimization. The results showed a satisfactory correlation (R 2 = 0.90) between the obtained and predicted responses. The native yeast Pichia caribbica UM-5 was used to ferment sugar liquors from both acid and enzymatic hydrolysis to ethanol yielding 50 and 87%, respectively. The final optimized process generated 8.99 g ethanol/50 g of BAT, corresponding to an overall 56.75% of theoretical ethanol (w/w). Thus, BAT may be employed as a lignocellulosic raw material for bioethanol production and can contribute to BAT residue elimination from environment.

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag,Oxford University Press,Springer
• Subject: Agave / Agave - chemistry / Agave tequilana / Analysis / Bacteria / Bagasse / Biochemistry / Biodiesel fuels / Biofuels / Bioinformatics / Biological and medical sciences / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biotechnology / Carbohydrate Metabolism / Carbohydrates / Cellulose / Cellulose - chemistry / Cellulose - metabolism / chemical composition / chemistry / Cooking / Emission standards / enzymatic hydrolysis / Enzymes / Enzymes - metabolism / Ethanol / Ethanol - metabolism / ethanol production / Fermentation / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Genetic Engineering / Glucose / hemicellulose / Hydrolysis / Inorganic Chemistry / Life Sciences / Lignin / Lignin - metabolism / Lignocellulose / Manufacturing / metabolism / Methods. Procedures. Technologies / Meyerozyma caribbica / Microbial engineering. Fermentation and microbial culture technology / Microbiology / Microorganisms / Original Paper / Pichia / Pichia - metabolism / Raw materials / Reactors / rendering / saccharification / Studies / Sugar / sugars / Sulfuric acid / Sulfuric Acids / Sulfuric Acids - chemistry / Tequila / wastes / Yeast / yeasts