Production of bioethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of corn meal by immobilized yeast

Abstract

The production of bioethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of corn meal using immobilized cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus yeast in a batch system was studied. The immobilized system was superior to the free system since higher ethanol concentration and process productivity were obtained. The maximum increase in ethanol concentration was achieved in immobilized system when mineral salts were added. In this case, the ethanol concentration of 9.70 % (wt/wt) was achieved after 38 hours of fermentation. Addition of the magnesium and zinc contributed to the achievement of a high productivity of the batch SSF of corn meal with immobilized S. cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus yeast, while still preserving a physical and chemical stability of Ca-alginate gel beads. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 19th International Congress of Chemical and Process Engineering and 7th European Congress of Chemical Engineering (Prague, Czech Republic 8/28/2010-9/1/2010).