Production of bioethanol from sugarcane bagasse using Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Ethanol is an alternative fuel derived from renewable biological resources. It's a good substitute for gasoline in spark ignition engines. In this study, the sugar cane bagasse was chemically pretreated with 1% NaOH at room temperature for 2 hours. Dilute acid H2SO4 and Aspergillus niger was used to hydrolyse the biomass to sucrose. Fermentation of the hydrolysed sample was done using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The fermented product was purified by distillation process at 78oC, and the fraction was collected, and the ethanol was determined by measuring the specific gravity. The production of ethanol from sugar cane bagasse with Saccharomyces cerevisiae was determined after the inoculation into sample A1, A2 and B1 and B2 and highest ethanol produced were from B1 with 0.090 followed B2 0.074, A2 with 0.069% and D 0.116. The use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae gives a better yield. The result of this study can be of a better application in the large production of biofuel from sugar cane bagasse which is renewable and highly abundant, it is saving costs by recycling of wastes, and it also helps to alleviate environmental problem such as an excessive release of greenhouse gases from combustion of non-renewable fossil fuel. From the chromatograph, when the peaks spectrum wave analysed by mass spectrometer of the three volatile organic compounds, two were common to both samples, A contains the abundance of Acetic acid 22.37%, Ethyl alcohol 13.55% isobutene 64.08%. While that of Sample B contains the abundance Acetic acid 17.43%, Ethyl alcohol 7.12% and Propane 75.4.according to Pasteur this is due to Microbial oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid that decreases metabolic toxicity to the yeast cells. This study has proven the efficiency of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the production of bioethanol.