Ethanol production from brown seaweed using non-conventional yeasts
The use of macroalgae (seaweed) as a potential source of biofuels has attracted considerable worldwide interest. Since brown algae, especially the giant kelp, grow very rapidly and contain considerable amounts of polysaccharides, coupled with low lignin content, they represent attractive candidates...
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Published in | Bioethanol (De Gruyter Open) Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 134 - 145 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
De Gruyter Open
29.06.2016
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The use of macroalgae (seaweed) as a potential
source of biofuels has attracted considerable worldwide
interest. Since brown algae, especially the giant kelp,
grow very rapidly and contain considerable amounts
of polysaccharides, coupled with low lignin content,
they represent attractive candidates for bioconversion
to ethanol through yeast fermentation processes. In the
current study, powdered dried seaweeds (Ascophylum
nodosum and Laminaria digitata) were pre-treated with
dilute sulphuric acid and hydrolysed with commercially
available enzymes to liberate fermentable sugars.
Higher sugar concentrations were obtained from
L. digitata compared with A. nodosum with glucose and
rhamnose being the predominant sugars, respectively,
liberated from these seaweeds. Fermentation of the
resultant seaweed sugars was performed using two
non-conventional yeast strains: Scheffersomyces
(Pichia) stipitis and Kluyveromyces marxianus based
on their abilities to utilise a wide range of sugars.
Although the yields of ethanol were quite low (at around
6 g/L), macroalgal ethanol production was slightly
higher using K. marxianus compared with S. stipitis. The
results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining
ethanol from brown algae using relatively straightforward
bioprocess technology, together with non-conventional
yeasts. Conversion efficiency of these non-conventional
yeasts could be maximised by operating the fermentation
process based on the physiological requirements of the
yeasts. |
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ISSN: | 2299-6788 2299-6788 |
DOI: | 10.1515/bioeth-2016-0010 |