Valorization of cocoa's mucilage waste to ethanol and subsequent direct catalytic conversion into ethylene

Abstract BACKGROUND The identification of new resources for producing biofuels and chemical‐based products is crucial processes sustainability. This study presents a valorization route to produce ethanol ethylene using cocoa's mucilage juice (MJ) residue from cocoa farms variety ‘Arriba’ (AC). processing parameters maximize the production subsequent selective conversion into were determined. Ethanol has been carried out by investigating effect three parameters: temperature fermentation, initial fermentation pH addition (NH 4 ) 2 SO as an N source in presence free Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC 366. Consecutively, selectivity ethanol–ethylene zeolite‐based ZSM‐5 catalyst was evaluated at different temperatures concentrations. RESULTS During production, best sugar reached 30 °C, adjusting 5 without nitrogen source, resulting 86.83% conversion, maximum concentration 68.65 g L −1 rate 2.03 h after 168 fermentation. On other hand, produced ZSM‐5‐based zeolite with >99.9% efficiency range 240–300 °C. In addition, formation found 240 °C ethanol. CONCLUSION approach hereby presented shows MJ waste AC minimum input costs, demonstrating successful convert farm bio‐based product enhanced marketability. © 2022 Authors. Journal Chemical Technology Biotechnology published John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf Society Industry (SCI).