Ethanol Production from Local Biomass (Rice husk) using Yeast and Zymmomonas Mobilis , its Optimization using Ti02 and characterization using HPLC and FTIR Analysis /

Abstract

In this era of petroleum exhaustion, energy security and negative impact of fossil fuels on environment, ethanol emerges as a propitious source of replacing petroleum and is environmental friendly as well. This study explores the characteristics of Ethanol as fuel, yeast and Zymmomonas mobilis as the potential organisms for ethanol production and rice husk as a potential Lignocellulosic biomass. The factual objective of this study was to investigate the fusing effect of TiO2 in the presence of H2SO4 on rice husk during pretreatment as the formation of intermediates during hydrolysis is a biggest drain that reduces ethanol yield .The HPLC results revealed that TiO2 has helped in bolstering the glucose content without much affecting lignin which indicates that it controlled the by-product formation during pretreatment of acid. The dried biomass was then observed for cellulose content and delignification and first filtrate was investigated for reducing sugar concentration using FTIR in order to study the changes in structural as well as physic-chemical composition of pretreated sample with or without TiO2. The FTIR results of sample treated with acid along with TiO2 shows less bond breaking events as compared to only acid which proves the controlled chemical reactions by TiO2. Moreover the percentage increase in cellulose content is 70.80% for acid treated sample and 66.4 % for Ti02 treated sample and 31.76 % decrease in lignin content (delignification) for Ti02 treated sample and 48.12% decrease for acid treated sample was observed. The total lignin content of control sample was 89.5% before pretreatment which took the edge off after pretreatment. These results were consistent with those from FTIR results. As the further matter, Laboratory scale unit was designed to perform the experiments through batch fermentation and to determine the impact of leading parameters, including fermentation temperature and pH .Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced 11.08 % (v/v) bioethanol provided sugar concentration 20g/100ml. On the contrary, Zymomonas mobilis produced 12.83% (v/v) bioethanol by utilizing 20g/100ml sugar.