SACCHARIFICATION WITH Phanerochaete chrysosporium AND ETHANOL PRODUCTION WITH Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Lignocellulosic biomass can be utilized to produce ethanol, a promising alternative energy source for the limited crude oil. Efficient conversion of lignocellulosic materials into fuel ethanol has become a world priority for producing environmentally friendly renewable energy at reasonable price for the transportation sector. Fuel ethanol can be utilized as oxygenate of gasoline elevating its oxygen content, allowing a better oxidation of hydrocarbons and reducing the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. There are mainly two processes involved in the conversion such as hydrolysis of cellulose in the lignocellulosic biomass to produce reducing sugars, and fermentation of the sugars to ethanol. The cost of ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials is relatively high based on current technologies, and the main challenges are the low yield and high cost of the hydrolysis process. Considerable research efforts have been made to improve the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials. Pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials to remove lignin and hemicellulose can significantly enhance the hydrolysis of cellulose. The fungi like Phanerochaete chrysosporium have unique oxidative systems which together with ligninolytic enzymes are responsible for lignocellulose degradation as well as selective lignin degradation and further ethanol formation done by Saccharomyces cerevisiae through fermentative pathways. Among the three raw materials studied the ethanol yield was observed to be the highest in bagasse (4.5 g/l).