Increased ethanol production from sweet sorghum juice concentrated by a membrane separation process

Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to attain high ethanol concentration by concentrating sweet sorghum juice using a two-step membrane separation process. Ultrafiltration permeation of the juice was used to remove residues, followed by nanofiltration concentration to increase the sugar concentration. The concentrated juice containing 180.0 g L(-1) sucrose, 59.3 g L(-1) glucose and 49.3 g L(-1) fructose supplemented with nitrogen sources (10 and 20 g L(-1) of yeast extract and polypeptone, respectively) was fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741 to produce 133.5 g L(-1) of ethanol (87.6% of theoretical yield) after 48 h fermentation. Importantly, the addition of lower concentrations of exogenous nitrogen sources (3 and 6 g L(-1) of yeast extract and polypeptone, respectively) or no exogenous nitrogen sources resulted in the production of 131.4 and 132.8 g L(-1) of ethanol (84.8% and 86.0% of theoretical yield), respectively, after 48 h fermentation.

Keywords: Bioethanol; Nanofiltration; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Sweet sorghum juice; Ultrafiltration.