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Optimizing alkaline pretreatment for delignification of paddy straw and sugarcane bagasse to enhance bioethanol production

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Abstract

The study explores the effectiveness of alkaline pretreatment using various concentrations of NaOH (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%) on lignocellulosic biomass, specifically paddy straw and sugarcane bagasse, and its impact on the biomass structure and subsequent bioethanol production. Among the 2–10% NaOH pretreatment, samples at 2% NaOH exhibited a significant removal of lignin and increased reducing sugar yields of 8.369 g/L from paddy straw and 7.635 g/L from sugarcane bagasse compared to untreated samples. The growth patterns of two yeast strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica, were analyzed under different treatment conditions using paddy straw and sugarcane bagasse as carbon sources. The results indicated that S. cerevisiae showed enhanced growth when dextrose was present with paddy straw but exhibited lower growth with sugarcane bagasse. In contrast, Y. lipolytica exhibited higher growth with the addition of dextrose regardless of the carbon source. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis further confirmed the structural changes and lignocellulose degradation after 2% NaOH pretreatment. Among the treatment conditions, the highest ethanol yield of 65.6 ml/L was obtained when S. cerevisiae and Y. lipolytica were co-fermented with sugarcane bagasse as the carbon source without the addition of dextrose. Overall, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of alkaline pretreatment using 2%NaOH in removing lignin from paddy straw and sugarcane bagasse, resulting in improved bioethanol production. The findings highlight the potential of utilizing lignocellulosic biomass as a sustainable feedstock for biofuel production through efficient treatment methods.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Biofuel Research Laboratory of the Department of Microbiology, Central University of Tamil Nadu, India.

Funding

This project is supported by the Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur. This work is financially supported by the SERB DST Project (EEQ/2023/000530).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biofuel Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, 610 005, India

    J. Tharunkumar, V. K. Arosha & Suchitra Rakesh

  2. Algal Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, 610 005, India

    Amit K. Bajhaiya

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Contributions

TJ: writing the original draft and carrying out the work; AVK: alkali pretreatment and ethanol estimation; AKB: reviewing and suggestions for improvement; SR: conceptualization, reviewing, and final editing.

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Correspondence to Suchitra Rakesh.

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Tharunkumar, J., Arosha, V.K., Bajhaiya, A.K. et al. Optimizing alkaline pretreatment for delignification of paddy straw and sugarcane bagasse to enhance bioethanol production. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05458-9

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