Abstract
This study explores the possibility of producing ethanol using the acid hydrolysate of three abundant agar-containing red seaweeds (agarophytes): Gelidium amansii, Gracilaria tenuistipitata, and Gracilariopsis chorda. The main component in the seaweed samples was agar, which ranged from 20 to 51 % (g g−1 dry weight). After optimizing acid hydrolysis, 100 g of seaweed was hydrolyzed at 130 °C for 15 min with 0.2 M H2SO4. Then, 120 mL of a 1:2 mixture of the hydrolysate broth and basal medium was fermented in a 200-mL bottle at 30 °C for 96 h. Of the three seaweeds, G. amansii had the best ethanol yield, producing 0.23 g g−1 of galactose or 45 % of the theoretical yield. This yield increased to 60 % after detoxification of the hydrolysate with activated carbon.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a grant from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Korea. We are grateful for a postdoctoral fellowship from the Pukyong National University (MNAK) and the Brain Busan 21 program for graduate support. We thank to the Jenderal Soedirman University (UNSOED), Indonesia, for the collaboration research (Riset Unggulan UNSOED).
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Meinita, M.D.N., Marhaeni, B., Winanto, T. et al. Comparison of agarophytes (Gelidium, Gracilaria, and Gracilariopsis) as potential resources for bioethanol production. J Appl Phycol 25, 1957–1961 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-013-0041-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-013-0041-4