Bioethanol Production f rom t he Pods o f Delonix Regia

Abstract

To replace conventional fossil fuels extensive research works are being carried out using bio-resources. In this scenario an experimental study was carried out to extract bioethanol from the seeds of the plant Delonix regia. . Delonix regia pod has several characteristics features like high cellulose and hemicelluloses content and that can be readily hydrolysed into fermentable sugar. In our present study the pods of D.regia were powdered and sterilised. The pod powder was treated with laboratory grown Sacchromyces cervisiae and allowed for fermentation. Different doses of Delonix regia pod powder was used (4, 8, 12, and 16%) to study their effect on ethanol fermentation by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An increase in the substrate concentration was found to increase the bioethanol yield. The ethanol production was high after 24 hour of fermentation when the substrate concentration was 16%. Temperature between 30-35°C and pH4.5 are reported to be optimum for the growth of yeast and good bioethanol synthesis. HPLC analysis of the extracted sugar of the pod showed the presence of cellulose and hemicellulose. After distillation the produced bio ethanol was tested for its quality and found it well suited for fuel.