Biotech

• “Considerable efforts have been made to utilize agricultural and forest residues as biomass feedstock for the production of second-generation bioethanol as an alternative fuel.”¹

Researchers from Laboratories of Bioprocess Development, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro-Center of Technology-School of Chemistry, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; have presented an article titled: “Ethanol Production from Sugarcane Bagasse by Zymomonas mobilis Using Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) Process.”

The researchers from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have also noted:

• “Fermentation utilizing strains of Zymomonas mobilis and the use of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process has been proposed.”
• “Statistical experimental design was used to optimize the conditions of SSF, evaluating solid content, enzymatic load, and cell concentration.”
• “The optimum conditions were found to be solid content (30%), enzymatic load (25 filter paper units/g), and cell concentration (4 g/L), resulting in a maximum ethanol concentration of 60 g/L and a volumetric productivity of 1.5 g L(-1) h(-1).”

(1) da Silveira Dos Santos D, Camelo AC, Rodrigues KC, Carlos LC, Pereira N Jr: Ethanol Production from Sugarcane Bagasse by Zymomonas mobilis Using Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) Process. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2009 Oct 30. [Epub ahead of print]