Renewable Energy, Vol.99, 1062-1072, 2016
Optimization and techno-economic assessment of high-solid fed-batch saccharification and ethanol fermentation by Scheffersomyces stipitis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae consortium
In the present work, technological and economical potentials of sugarcane bagasse-to-ethanol process using Scheffersomyces stipitis/S. cerevisiae consortium were investigated. A fed-batch enzyme saccharification followed by fermentation (SHF) using optimized yeast consortium achieved a maximum ethanol titer of 60 g/L. with ethanol yield exceeding 70% of theoretical. Techno-economic analysis was assessed using a fully integrated process flowsheeting model, showing the optimized fed-batch yeast co-culture as the most cost-effective configuration with the ethanol yield of 250 kg-ethanol/ton-bagasse. The minimal ethanol selling price was 26.7 baht/L-ethanol, closed to the current ethanol selling price from cassava based process. Process sensitivity analyses revealed the potentials for further cost reduction up to 44% by reducing enzyme dosage and increasing ethanol titer. Hence, this study provides an economically viable prototype for high-titer lignocellulosic ethanol production using S. stipitis/S cerevisiae consortium which may offer better economic value than starch-based process. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:High-solid fed-batch process;High-titer ethanol fermentation;Yeast consortium technology;Techno-economic analysis