Prosopis Juliflora Bark - An Alternate Feedstock in the Production of Bioethanol Using Thermo Tolerant Yeast Kluyveromyces Marxianus

S. Sivarathnakumar^1,2, G. Baskar³, B. Bharathiraja⁴, R. Praveen Kumar², S. Chozhavendhan², J. Vinoth Arulraj², K. M. Vishnuvardan² and S. Surendar²

¹Faculty of Bioengineering, Department of Biotechnology, Sathyabama University, Chennai.

²Department of Biotechnology, Arunai Engineering College, Tiruvannamalai.

³Department of Biotechnology, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai.

⁴Department of Chemical Engineering, Vel Tech High Tech Dr.Rangarajan, Dr.Sakuntala Engineering College, Chennai, India.

Corresponding Author E-mail: basg2004@gmail.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/2528

ABSTRACT: Prosopis juliflora, a widely available perennial plant can be an alternative source to sugar-containing feedstock, which can be considered as a prospective lignocellulosic material for bioethanol production. In the present study, bark of Prosopis juliflora was subjected to hydrothermal coupled with nitric acid pre-treatment (3%(v/v)) followed by sonication. The composition of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, reducing sugars and inhibitors at each stage of pre-treatment were analysed. Further, delignified lignocellulosic biomass was subjected to Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) studies using Kluyveromyces marxianus (MTCC 1389) and commercial cellulase enzyme. The effect of operating parameters such as pH, temperature, substrate concentration and inoculum concentration were investigated and found to be 4.9, 41^oC, 3% v/v and 5% w/v respectively. The maximum bioethanol concentration achieved by fermentation of woody stem Prosopis juliflora using the yeast was found to be 21.45g/l.

KEYWORDS: Kluyveromyces Marxianus;  Lignocellulosic Material; Prosopis Juliflora SSF;

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