Effect of Alkali Pretreatment on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Gracilaria sp.

Abstract

Pretreatment of seaweed biomass for bioethanol production. This study aimed to determine the effect of biomass pretreatment with 5% NaOH alkali on enzymatic hydrolysis in the bioethanol production process using Gracilaria sp. as raw material. Pretreatment with 5% NaOH alkali was carried out with different time variations, namely 60, 90, and 120 minutes at a temperature of 50oC. After pretreatment, the enzymatic hydrolysis process was carried out using cellulase enzymes on a shaker incubator at a temperature of 50oC, 150 rpm for 72 hours, then the fermentation process for 72 hours using Saccharomices cerevisiae mold. The results showed that 5% NaOH alkali pretreatment could improve the quality of Gracilaria sp. biomass. The lignin content produced was 10.43 ± 0.15%.