KYAMBOGO UNIVRISTY

FACULTY OF SCIENCEUTRY DEPARTMENT

NAME: OKELLO ALLAN

REG NO: 13/U/7249/CHE/PE

COURSE: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

YEAR: FOUR

CONTACT: 0778649425/070449665 okelloallan@gmailcom.

TOPIC: USE OF MILLET STRAW AS POTENIAL RAW MATERIAL FOR BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Due to shortage and high cost of raw material for Bioethanol production, an alternative and relatively
cheaper source is proposed.

This can be achieved by utilization of agricultural residues stalk “finger millet straw” which could reduce
dependence on food crops for ethanol production. Finger millet straws are always left in the field or
even ploughed down after harvest of the millet grains, the stalks with no considerable use can provide a
cheap raw material because they are greatly widespread and abundant

In addition, given that their handling is a bit challenging e.g. getting rid of them would require some
extra costs, utilizing them in this manner would be of much importance. They are also outside the
human food chain making them relatively inexpensive feedstocks for ethanol production

The finger millet straws contain cellulose which is made up of glucose monomers, which when digested,
extracted and fermented could act as a good source for bioethanol, a process that would require a very
careful approach as discussed in the methodology

OBJECTIVES

This aim is to convert the millet straw into ethanol

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

-----Digesting millet straw

-----Extracting the glucose

-----Fermenting the sugar [glucose]

-----Distilling and collection of the ethanol

-----Quantifying the ethanol

-----Purifying the ethanol

SIGNIFICANCE
a) The millet stalk is not suitable for human consumption. As these biomass straws are generally all
considered un-useful, the feedstock costs are low or free.

b) The biggest benefit of making ethanol from cellulose is the inexhaustibility and convenience of
cellulosic biomass. It's more available than grains (millet grains) or any other source of ethanol.

c) most of the common sources of ethanol (sugar cane, sorghum grains etc.) are used as food, since the
stalks are not edible by humans, its production does not compete with the production of food

METHODOLGY

Ethanol can be produced through the microbial conversion of millet straws by fermentation of the
sugars contained in it, the principle steps are the formation of the fermentable sugars, fermentation of
these sugars to ethanol and finally the purification of the ethanol by distillation

However, there are step to step procedures that necessary for effective production of ethanol from this
feedstock and they include

>> pretreatment.

>>cellulose hydrolysis.

>>separation of sugar solution from the residual materials.

>>fermentation of the sugar solution.

>> and purification of the ethanol by distillation.

PRETREATMENT

Since the stalk (lignocellulose) has a very rigid structure, a pretreatment phase is necessary so as to
expose as much cellulose as possible to attack by the acid during hydrolysis

Two types of pretreatment technique will be employed i.e. the physical and chemical pretreatments.
The physical pretreatment will mostly target size reduction i.e. to reduce the biomass to a workable
physical size, these include cutting, milling etc.

On the other hand, chemical pretreatment is aimed at removal chemical barriers such as impurities from
the feedstock

The pretreatment is important because it:

--avoids destruction of the hemicellulose and cellulose

--reduces the possibility of formation of chemical barriers e.g. inhibitors

--results to less residues being formed

--minimizes the energy demand etc.

ACID HYDROLYSIS
When the cellulosic fibres are subjected to acid, the glyosidic linkages in the cellulose are broken and
the degree of polymerization decreases thus releasing the glucose monomers in solution

In this particular work concentrated sulphuric acid will be used, the reaction converts the cellulosic
materials to sugars and other unwanted products notably furfural which is removed by

After the hydrolysis is complete, the sample is carefully washed with deionized water at room
temperature to remove the acid traces

SEPARATION AND ISOLATION OF SUGAR SOLUTION FROM LIGNIN

The cellulose and hemicellulose are cemented together by lignin. Lignin is responsible for integrity,
structural rigidity, and prevention of swelling of lignocelluloses. Thus, lignin content and distribution
constitute the most recognized factor which is responsible for recalcitrance of lignocellulosic materials
to cellulose degradation by limiting its accessibility; therefore, the delignification processes can improve
the rate and extent of cellulosic hydrolysis.

Extraction of lignin from the liquor can be carried out using a mixture of formic acid/acetic acid/water
for pulping with the main objective of degrading the lignin molecules by dissolving them in the solution
and consequently retrieving by washing them.

Organosolv (acetic acid/formic acid) cleaves ether bonds between lignin and hemicellulose, thereby
accelerating the delignification process

The process of lignin extraction from the biomass can be achieved by first pulping, where the biomass is
first cut into small size and placed in a conical flask

A mixture of 85% organic acid (with a ratio of formic acid/acetic acid mixture of 70:30 by volume) is
added to the biomass in the flask and allowed to boil for 2 h. After 2 h, flask and its content are allowed
to cool to ambient temperature.

The lignin dissolved in formic acid is then precipitated by adding distilled water (5 times more than
volume of concentrated liquor) and the precipitate filtered in a Buchner funnel. Finally, the precipitated
lignin is isolated from the liquor

MICROBIAL FERMENTATION

Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is used in the to produce ethanol from sugars. Due to the
complex nature of the carbohydrates being used, saccharomyces cerevisiae will be used.

The yeast(microorganism) has the advantage that it can ferment the whole range of sugars available
from the hydrolysate

Procedure

Water and the hydrolyzed sample are mixed in the ratio of 2:1 and the mixture is transferred to the
fermentation bottle
About 150ml of water is poured into the exclusion bottle and the vegetable oil added to it until there is a
layer of oil at the top of the water approximately 0.5 inch thick

The bottles are then placed next to each other and they are connected using bendable drinking straws
as shown below

An appropriate amount of yeast is then added to the fermentation bottle. when fermentation begins the
carbon, dioxide released gets directed through the straw to the exclusion bottle then to the atmosphere
otherwise without the exclusion bottle there would be a buildup of pressure in the fermentation bottle

NB

a) The end of the straw inserted into the fermentation bottle should be at the top of the bottle i.e. of
the solution and that in the exclusion bottle should be below the oil level

b) The system should an air tight seal

DISTILLATION

After approximately a week of fermentation, there will be a clear liquid layer on top of the yeast layer in
the bottle. for this reason, the setup is carefully disassembled with minimal disruption and the clear
layer(alcohol) is decanted and transferred to the distillation system for distillation as shown below

Experimental setup
The mixture is heated and the ethanol being more volatile will evaporate at 78 0C leaving behind water

The alcohol vapors are then constantly cooled by the cold water in the condenser and the condensed
liquid(ethanol) is directed to the collecting container