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Improvement of ethanol production in fed-batch fermentation using a mixture of sugarcane juice and molasse under very high-gravity conditions

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Abstract

Ethanol fermentation in very high gravity (VHG) saves energy consumption for ethanol distillation. As the technology offers high ethanol yield and low waste generation and it can be operated at low cost, it could be more efficient at an industrial scale than other ethanol production methods. This work studied ethanol production using a fed-batch bioreactor with a working volume of 1.5 L. The main objective of this research was evaluate the effects of temperature, sugar concentration, and cellular concentration using a Central Composite Design (CCD). Experimental conditions were selected using the surface response technique obtained from the CCD, and the results were validated to test the reproducibility. The following operating conditions were selected: temperature of 27.0 °C, sugar concentration 300.0 g/L, and cell concentration 15.0% (v/v). Under these conditions, after 30 h of fermentation the ethanol concentration, productivity and yield were 135.0 g/L, 4.42 g/(L·h) and 90.0%, respectively. All sugar was completely consumed.

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Acknowledgements

The financial support of Research Support Foundation of the state of Minas Gerais—FAPEMIG, National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development—CNPq and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel—CAPES (Finance Code 001) are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Av. João Naves de Ávila, 2121, , Campus Santa Mônica - Bloco 1K, Uberlândia, MG, 38408-144, Brazil

    Mariana Lopes Cruz, Miriam Maria de Resende & Eloízio Júlio Ribeiro

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  1. Mariana Lopes Cruz
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  2. Miriam Maria de Resende
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  3. Eloízio Júlio Ribeiro
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Correspondence to Miriam Maria de Resende.

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Cruz, M.L., de Resende, M.M. & Ribeiro, E.J. Improvement of ethanol production in fed-batch fermentation using a mixture of sugarcane juice and molasse under very high-gravity conditions. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 44, 617–625 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-020-02462-x

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