Simple and enhanced production of lignocellulosic ethanol by diluted acid hydrolysis process of pineapple peel (Ananas comosus) waste

Abstract

Ethanol can be produced from a fermentation process using raw materials obtained from highly economically important plants such as corn, cassava and sugarcane, and used as an alternative energy source. These economical plants are being used less because their initial cost is still increasing. However, lignocellulosic ethanol production can alternatively be done from agricultural wastes such as corn stover, sugarcane bagasse and rice straw. In this work, a solution of hydrolyzed pineapple peel was the substrate and was converted to ethanol via batch fermentation. The preparation and characterization of the cellulose obtained from the modified TAPPI T203 test method for the enhancement of the ethanol production was investigated. The results show that the FTIR spectra of their removable lignin and hemicellulose disappeared at 1590, 1475, 1250 and 1164 cm^-1, respectively. The percentage of cellulose obtained was 20.44. The maximum percentage yield of total reducing sugars in the diluted acidic hydrolysis of pineapple peel by 0.2 M H₂SO₄ was 82.10±2.30. The fermented broth using Saccharomyces cerevisiae TISTR 5048 gave the highest percentage of bioethanol yield which was 65.27±2.45%. This process is not complicated, simple and low cost for ethanol production industries.

Keywords: Lignocellulosic ethanol, diluted acid hydrolysis, pineapple peel waste, total reducing sugars.

African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(38) 3928-3934