High-efficiency conversion of corn bran to ethanol at 150 L scale.
Jie Dong1, Mohamadali Fakhari1, Lilia Ban1
1National Corn to Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 400 University Park Dr, Edwardsville, IL 62025, USA.
Bioresource Technology
|August 6, 2024
Summary
Researchers optimized corn bran processing for maximum ethanol production. The scalable 150 L process achieved an 86% total sugar conversion yield, demonstrating efficient biofuel generation.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Renewable Energy
- Biochemical Engineering
Background:
- Corn bran is a lignocellulosic biomass rich in starch, cellulose, and xylan.
- Efficient conversion of these components to ethanol is crucial for sustainable biofuel production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To maximize ethanol production from corn bran's starch, cellulose, and xylan fractions.
- To develop and scale up an efficient process for corn fiber to ethanol conversion.
Main Methods:
- Optimized dilute acid pretreatment (1.5% H2SO4 at 90°C for 60 min).
- Enzymatic hydrolysis using cellulase and hemicellulase for 48 hours.
- Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation using engineered yeast in a 150 L bioreactor.
Main Results:
- Achieved an 86% total sugar conversion yield.
- Specific conversions: 95% for starch, 77% for cellulose, and 77% for xylan.
- Successfully formulated an accurate mass balance for ethanol-producing carbohydrates.
Conclusions:
- A highly efficient process for converting corn fiber to ethanol was successfully scaled up to 150 L.
- The engineered yeast effectively consumed both glucose and xylose for ethanol production.
- The optimized process demonstrates significant potential for industrial-scale biofuel generation from corn bran.
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