The addition of hydrolyzed rice straw in xylose fermentation by Pichia stipitis to increase bioethanol production at the pilot-scale

The pretreatment of agricultural biomass by diluted acid is often employed to facilitate the release of monosaccharide for the subsequent enzyme hydrolysis for lignocellulosic ethanol production. However, furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural are usually generated and markedly decrease the yield of pentose fermentation during this pretreatment. In the present study, the enhancement of lignocellulosic ethanol production was successfully demonstrated at pilot scale with extra addition of hydrolyzed rice straw into pentose fermentation by Pichia stiptis. This way has resulted into the increase of P. stiptis cell mass was shown to play a positive role. The ethanol yield, 0.45 g_p/g_s, with the addition of hydrolyzed rice straw in hemicellulosic hydrolysate from plywood, bagasse and bamboo were increase 20–51% to demonstrate the applicability of this technology in a variety of lignocellulosic ethanol processes due to the efficient conversion of xylose.