Evaluation of sugar content and bioethanol potentials of some freshwater biomass

摘要

An evaluation of sugar content and bioethanol potential of some freshwater biomass namely; Eichhornia crassipes (Water Hyacinth) Pistia stratiotes (Water Lettuce) and Salvinia molesta (Water Fern) was carried out in a batch hydrolysis and fermentation processes. Determinations of xylose and glucose content were achieved using phloroglucinol and Dinitrosalicylic assay respectively. While the amount of glucose in E. crassipes, P. stratiotes and S. molesta were 0.08, 0.07 and 0.04 g/L, that of xylose were found to be 0.11, 09 and 0.07 g/L respectively. The results of analysis of biofuel potential show that maximum ethanol yield of 25 cm~3 was observed in E. crassipess, 25 cm~3 in P. stratiotes and 20 cm~3 was found in S. molesta after 21days of fermentation and this gave a corresponding mean yield of 18.3 cm~3, 17.6 cm~3 and 15.0 cm~3 respectively. The study concludes that the sugar content in the freshwater biomass determined the amount of ethanol yield. While there are no significant differences in the bioethanol production potential between the three biomass samples, E. crassipess and P. stratiotes have higher yield than S. molesta.