Immobilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to modified bagasse for ethanol production

Ethanol production was carried out by growing yeast cells immobilized on bagasse carriers. The effects of cellulase hydrolysis of carriers on cell immobilization and ethanol production were investigated. The electrical conductivity of carriers after three days cellulase hydrolysis was 3.7 times higher than that of basic bagasse carrier and the immobilized cell concentration of modified carriers was 1.46 times higher than that of unmodified ones. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the carriers indicated that cellulase hydrolysis disrupted the sleek surface into rough and porous, which promoted the mass transfer and resulted in high specific ethanol production rate. Cellulase hydrolysis of carriers has positive effects on both of cell immobilization and ethanol productivity. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.