Bioethanol production from raw juice as intermediate of sugar beet processing: a response surface methodology approach

Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for selecting optimal fermentation time and initial sugar mass fraction in cultivation media based on raw juice from sugar beet in order to produce ethanol. Optimal fermentation time and initial sugar mass fraction for ethanol production in batch fermentation by free Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells under anaerobic conditions at the temperature of 30°C and agitation rate of 200 rpm were estimated to be 38 h and 12.30 % by mass, respectively. For selecting optimal conditions for industrial application, further techno-economic analysis should be performed by using the obtained mathematical representation of the process (second degree polynomial model). The overall fermentation productivity of five different types of yeast was examined and there is no significant statistical difference between them. Key words: optimization, bioethanol, raw juice, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, response surface methodology