Ethanol Production from Sugarcane Bagasse Using Pressurized Microwave Treatment with Inorganic Salts and Salt-Tolerant Yeast

A novel biomass pretreatment method, i.e. pressurized microwave hydrothermal treatment with inorganic salts, and the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) using salt-tolerant cellulase, i.e. Meicelase, and salt-tolerant yeast, i.e. Saccharomyces cerevisiae BA11, were studied for the efficient ethanol production from sugarcane bagasse. The component analysis, enzymatic saccharification, and alcohol fermentation were carried out using pressurized microwave treated sugarcane bagasse with various inorganic salts. The pressurized microwave treatment using 2 wt% MgCl 2 at a treatment temperature of 200 °C for a treatment time of 5 min followed by SSF without washing treatment of inorganic salts provided the maximum glucose and ethanol yields, i.e. 0.392 and 0.18 g/g-raw material, those corresponded to 99 and 90% of saccharification and ethanol conversion ratios, respectively.