Than S., 2017, Optimisation of Acid Hydrolysis of Grasses using Response Surface Methodology for the Preparation of Bioethanol, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 56, 1615-1620.
The grasses?Chloris barbata Sw. and Ischaemum pilosum Klein ex Willd were chosen as sources of lignocellulosic material for the preparation of ethanol. Fresh stems of grass were processed into fermentable sugars by acid hydrolysis using sulfuric acid. Optimisation of cellulose hydrolysis was performed by using Central Composite design of response surface methodology (RSM). Three variables such as acid concentration, acid volume and hydrolysing time were considered as influencing factors on the yield of fermentable sugars during acid hydrolysis. Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was used in fermentation of the resulting sugars under anaerobic condition. The maximum yields of ethanol by volume were 24.88 ± 0.20 % and 6.01 ± 3.20 % with the yeast concentrations of 5 g/L and 4 g/L accordingly to their same reflux ratio of 1.01.
