Optimized yield
of fermentable sugar from chemical hydrolysis of rice straw for application in ethanol
fermentation
Gupta Vikas Chandra, Singh Meenu, Prasad Shiv and Mishra Bhartendu Nath
Res. J. Chem. Environ.; Vol. 28(1); 107-114;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/281rjce1070114; (2024)
Abstract
Lignocellulosic biomass is a rich source of carbohydrate polymers with cellulose
and hemicellulose being the two primary carbohydrates made up of glucose and xylose
monomers. These monomeric sugar molecules act as precursor molecules for ethanol
production by the microbial fermentation process. Rice straw is a potent lignocellulosic
feedstock for ethanol production, but its utilization on an industrial scale still
faces significant challenges. The main obstacle lies in the chemical pretreatment
process which needs to be designed optimally to enable a smooth supply of biomass-based
fermentable sugar for ethanol businesses in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.
The application of response surface curve analysis was made utilizing the Minitab
software-based design of experiments which have demonstrated promising results in
obtaining an optimized yield of fermentable sugar from the chemical hydrolysis of
rice straw. The present study aimed to increase the fermentable sugar yield from
chemical pretreatment of rice straw using Minitab computer software-based design
of experiments. The optimal level of pretreatment variables was determined using
Minitab 17 software-based analysis of the response surface curve to achieve a maximized
release of fermentable sugar at 348.20 milligrams/gram of solid pretreated biomass.
This study identified the corresponding optimum operating levels for each variable
as (a) biomass solid loading rate (15% w/v), (b) H2SO4 concentration (12% v/v),
(c) pretreatment reaction time (30 minutes) and (d) temperature (100°C).
