Production of bioethanol from bagasse with a simultaneous saccarification and fermentation (SSF) process using crude cellulase from Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Abstract

Bagasse is a solid waste from the sugar industry, which contains lignocellulose that can be used as an alternative energy source to replace fossil fuels. Lignocellulose in bagasse consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin where those three components can be degraded by crude cellulase enzymes produced by fungus Phanerochaete chysosporium to become bioethanol. The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of fermentation time and the amount of crude cellulase enzymes added to the bioethanol levels which is produced by the SSF method, and to determine the best operating conditions of the variables used. This research was carried out through the following stages: bagasse pretreatment by drying and reducing size, analyzing the cellulose, himicellulose and lignin levels in bagasse, production crude cellulase using Phanerochaete chysosporium, and production bioethanol using the SSF method. The variables used in the study were fermentation time (48, 72, and 96 hours), and the amount of crude cellulase added (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% by weight). The results showed that the longer fermentation time and the greater crude cellulase added, the higher level of bioethanol produced, where the highest bioethanol level of 9.22% was obtained at the addition of 50% crude cellulase, and fermentation time of 96 hours.