Potential of giant reed (Arundo donax L. ) for second generation ethanol production

Background The production of second generation ethanol from lignocellulosic biomasses that have not had their potential fully explored as feedstock is of great importance. Arundo donax is one these biomasses. It is a promising grassy plant to be used as a renewable resource for the production of fuels and chemicals, because of its fast growth rate, ability to grow in different soil types and climatic conditions. The present study evaluated its use as feedstock for the production of second generation ethanol. Results Initially its chemical characterization was carried out, and a protocol for fractioning the biomass through diluted acid pretreatment followed by alkaline pretreatment was developed, providing a solid fraction which was undergone to enzymatic hydrolysis reaching 42 g/L of glucose, obtained in 30 h of enzymatic hydrolysis. This partially delignified material was subjected to a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process, resulting in an ethanol concentration of 39 g/L at 70 h. Conclusions The fermentability of the pretreated biomass was performed successfully through the conception of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation resulting in approximately 75 L of ethanol per ton of cellulose.

Optimisation of Cellulase Production by Penicillium funiculosum in a Stirred Tank Bioreactor Using Multivariate Response Surface Analysis.

Increasing interest in the production of second-generation ethanol necessitates the low-cost production of enzymes from the cellulolytic complex (endoglucanases, exoglucanases, and ß-glucosidases), which act synergistically in cellulose breakdown. The present work aimed to optimise a bioprocess to produce these biocatalysts from the fungus Penicillium funiculosum ATCC11797. A statistical full factorial design (FFD) was employed to determine the optimal conditions for cellulase production. The optimal composition of culture media using Avicel (10 g·L(-1)) as carbon source was determined to include urea (1.2 g·L(-1)), yeast extract (1.0 g·L(-1)), KH2PO4 (6.0 g·L(-1)), and MgSO4 ·7H2O (1.2 g·L(-1)). The growth process was performed in batches in a bioreactor. Using a different FFD strategy, the optimised bioreactor operational conditions of an agitation speed of 220 rpm and aeration rate of 0.6 vvm allowed the obtainment of an enzyme pool with activities of 508 U·L(-1) for FPase, 9,204 U·L(-1) for endoglucanase, and 2,395 U·L(-1) for ß-glucosidase. The sequential optimisation strategy was effective and afforded increased cellulase production in the order from 3.6 to 9.5 times higher than production using nonoptimised conditions.