Student Name: ARDRA S NAIR
Guide Name: Dr Dhanyalekshmi C.S, Research Director, Biovent, KU-TBSC
Project Area: BIO-ETHANOL
Year: 2018 , Duration: 1
In this paper, an effort to manage water hyacinth is made by converting it into a sustainable fuel, bioethanol. The area of study is Alappuzha commercial canal. The effect of acid and alkali pretreatment was analysed and the result shows that acid pre-treatment giving higher reducing sugar than alkali hydrolysate. The highest amount of reducing sugar of 1082.92 mg/l is obtained at 3% Sulphuric acid hydrolysis. While fermenting the acid hydrolysate using Pichia stipitis, a maximum ethanol of 0.914g/l was obtained at 72 hr incubation period.
An effort to reduce the cost of enzymes for biomass saccharification was made by using on-site produced enzyme using Aspergillus niger, with Water hyacinth as substrate. The effect of Water hyacinth produced enzyme for saccharification was compared with an industrial cellulase, Meicellase. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation was performed using Meicellase and Water Hyacinth enzyme, with fermenting organisms P. stipitis, S. cerevisiae and a combination of P. stipitis and S. cerevisiae (1:1). The result shows that a maximum of 4.19g/l ethanol can be produced by co-fermentation at 48hour incubation period and using 6ml of the on-site produced enzyme.
