Date:Feb 20, 2017
Country: India
Hyacinth
Hemicellulose
Application
Description Indian researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IITK) have developed a novel method to extract bioethanol from water hyacinth, an invasive plant rich in hemicellulose. By focusing on pore-scale phenomena, the team discovered that increasing the porosity and swelling of hemicellulose can significantly enhance the release of fermentable sugars, boosting bioethanol production. This breakthrough suggests that combining cellulosic and hemicellulosic ethanol from the same biomass could increase biofuel yield and energy efficiency by over 50%, making it a promising and cost-effective approach for biofuel production.
Pathway Description: The process used in the project involves increasing the porosity and swelling of hemicellulose in water hyacinth to enhance the release of fermentable sugars. Through hydrolysis, the cellulose and hemicellulose are broken down into simple sugars, which are then subjected to fermentation to produce bioethanol. By focusing on pore-scale phenomena, the researchers improved the efficiency of converting both cellulose and hemicellulose into bioethanol. This approach boosts the yield of biofuel by utilizing both components of the plant, making the process more cost-effective and productive.
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Tags: Bioethanol Production from HyacinthFermentable Sugarsbiofuel from Water Hyacinth
Types of Feedstock
Primary agricultural residue
Name
Water Hyacinth
Form
Solid biomass
Commercials
Readily available and zero-cost
Logistics
Requires harvesting from water bodies
Chemical
Hydrolysis
Microbial
fermentation
Educational Institution
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IITK)