Ethanol production from municipal solid waste

Abstract

The organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) has a high potential for converting to ethanol. Hydrothermal pretreatment was conducted for the solubilization of the starch fraction as well as pretreatment of the lignocellulosic fraction. The treatment liquor, which was rich in starch, was evaluated for ethanol production through simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Solid phase was subjected to a solid-state simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSSF) process to obtain high titer of ethanol, leading to several advantages, e.g., lower energy and water consumption as well as lower wastewater effluent. Hydrothermal pretreatment of OFMSW at 160 °C and 20% (w/w) solid loading for 30 min resulted in a liquor containing 124 g/L soluble starch. Both liquor and solid fractions were then subjected to ethanol production and 81 g/L ethanol was obtained.

Keywords

• Ethanol; Municipal solid waste; Hydrothermal pretreatment; Starch; Lignocellulosic.