Second Generation Bioethanol Production from Organic Waste

Abstract

Increasing global urge to decrease fossil fuel dependency, and better control of pollution needs the development of alternative energy resources like biodiesel, alcohols etc. Use of organic waste as feedstock for biofuel production is an innovative approach to solve the waste management problems, fossil fuel dependence, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and most importantly prevent the nation’s economy from global oil price fluctuations. Rice paddy straw is an attractive lignocellulose material for bioethanol production since it has several features, such as elevated content of cellulose and hemicellulose, which can readily be hydrolysed into fermentable sugars. Further fermentation can be done to produce ethanol from the hydrolysed intermediate product. The ethanol production process using rice paddy straw involve mainly the preparation of raw material which is known as pre-treatment (physical or chemical pre-treatment) and fermentation. One of the key challenges in implementing bioethanol production from rice paddy straw is the choice of a suitable pre-treatment method. Moreover, India is an agricultural based country where rice is one of the major product. Utilization of rice paddy straw as a biofuel may result in saving of significant foreign exchange for the country and also reduce environmental concerns.