There is a need for new approaches to isolate thermotolerant yeast strains that can be utilized for the efficient production of ethanol. The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of starch or lignocellulosic will greatly benefit from thermotolerant yeast strains that actively ferment ethanol at temperatures above 40°C. The development of new procedures targeting the cell membrane to in...

Oxidative stress from fat accumulation in the liver has many deleterious effects. Many believe that there is a second hit that causes relatively benign fat accumulation to transform into liver failure. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of ethanol on ex vivo precision-cut liver slice cultures (PCLS) from rats fed a high-fat diet resulting in fatty liver. Age-matched male Sprague-Dawley rats we...

Regarding some reported antimicrobial properties of tannins; Zymomonas mobilis was used to obtain ethanol from tannin-reduced carob pod extract (TR-CPE). Culture of 50 mL volume containing 7.5 g sugar at pH 5.5 and 0.03 g bacterial inoculums with shaking at 80 rpm was used. Using response surface methodology (RSM), the maximum ethanol concentration of 5.34 % w/v (higher than that reported earli...

Cellulosic biomass from agricultural and forestry residues, waste paper and industrial wastes could be used as an ideal and inexpensive source of sugar for sustainable fermentation into transportation fuel. As such, ethanol-producing microorganisms, mainly Zymomonas mobilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are potential candidates for ethanol production. However, the substrates are not cost effecti...

We investigated a novel process for production of ethanol from glycerol using the yeast Pachysolen tannophilus. After optimization of the fermentation medium, repeated-batch flask culture was performed over a period of 378 hr using yeast cells immobilized on Celite. Our results indicated that the use of Celite for immobilization of P. tannophilus was a practical approach for ethanol production ...

Rising reliance on foreign energy coupled with increasing greenhouse emissions have compelled policy makers to promote cellulosic feedstock for ethanol production. This study evaluates existing technologies available for converting cellulosic biomass into ethanol. Technical details of existing conversion technologies are discussed followed by their current adoption status. Economics of cellulos...

Sugarcane bagasse and trash may be used as feedstock for second generation ethanol production. Production of second generation ethanol integrated with first generation plants processing sugarcane presents several advantages over the stand-alone second generation ethanol production process; however, bagasse is used as fuel to supply the energy demand of the first generation process, so the amoun...

Feasible biorefineries for production of second-generation ethanol are difficult to establish due to the process complexity. An alternative is to partially include the process in the first-generation plants. Whole stillage, a by-product from dry-mill ethanol processes from grains, is mostly composed of undegraded bran and lignocelluloses can be used as a potential substrate for production of et...

Brazil is the second largest producer of ethanol in the world and the first in the technology of ethanol from sugar cane. The Brazilian bioprocess of ethanol production is based on molasses or cane juice substrate. Currently, a fed-batch or continuous or mixed process is operated with a stable cell recycle and high yeast concentration. The ethanol efficiency is controlled by several industrial ...

Recent interest in renewable energy production has exponentially increased the utilization of ethanol, a biofuel produced largely from corn in the United States. Increased production of ethanol has redistributed corn from livestock production to ethanol production. In 2002, 11% of the US corn crop was used in ethanol production; with the increase in production as much as 30% of US corn was bein...