Potential Application of Membrane Obtained from Sisal Bagasse in the Removal of Inhibitors from the Fermentation Process

Abstract

Annual world production of sisal is estimated to be 400,000 tons, but the processing of sisal fiber generates around 160,000 tons of waste per year. The sisal bagasse is discarded, even though it is about 60% carbohydrates in its structure. Therefore, this work seeks to add value to sisal bagasse through the production of cellulose acetate membranes aimed at removing inhibitors from the fermentation process. The membrane was developed using a cellulose acetate polymer synthesized from cellulose isolated from sisal bagasse. Alkaline and acid pre-treatments resulted in 90% pure cellulose. The obtained cellulose acetate was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. In the synthesis of the membranes, the influence of agitation time and temperature of the bath on the selectivity and porosity were evaluated in four tests, the third condition stood out with porosity of 26.23% and selectivity of 94.51% in the removal of the furfural and 36.62% of the acetic acid.