Bioethanol Production from Plant Biomass

Betty Niazov, Chemical Engineering, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
Faina Nakonechny, Chemical Engineering, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
Anker Yaakov, R&d Center, Samaria And The Jordan Rift R&d Center, Ariel, Israel
Svetlana Lugovskoy, Chemical Engineering, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
Marina Nisnevitch, Chemical Engineering, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel

Alternative renewable energy sources are important not only to counter the continuous depletion of limited fossil fuel stock, but also to contribute to a safer, greener, and more sustainable environment. The most common sources for bioethanol production today are sugar-rich plants which are converted into ethanol. Bioethanol from lignocellulosic sources can serve as a good alternative for fossil fuels since it is renewable, can be used for transportation, and does not contribute to the greenhouse effect. In this study, a number of plants, namely, Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), cactus Opuntia ficus-indica, grape spurs, grape pomace, and grass (Gramineae) were used as sources for lignocellulose. These plants have high hemicellulose and cellulose content and may, therefore, serve as a source of sugars for bioconversion into bioethanol. Moreover, water hyacinth and cactus do not compete with agricultural crop plants over growth areas and nutrients, and the other kinds of examind plants are agricultural wastes. Soluble sugars can be produced from plant biomass by means of traditional multistage acid-base or enzymatic hydrolysis or, as proposed in the present study, by single-stage mechanochemical hydrolysis. The results show that hydrolysis of the polysaccharides occurred due to the mechanochemical activation without addition of any catalyst. Furthermore, it was found that the components obtained by a mechanochemically-treated plant biomass can serve as a complete growth medium in fermentation of Pichia stipitis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae for bioethanol production.Enter the body of your abstract here