Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications
Open Access
ISSN: 2090-4541
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2090-4541
+44 1300 500008
Ezeonu CS, Arowora KA, Imo C and Onwurah INE
This research was necessitated by the quest to create a useful product from wastes (bio-ethanol from rice husk). This if successful will serve two purposes; first, help reduce wastes in the environment and to create wealth from waste. Separated isolates of Trichophyton soudanense, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophyte, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus were obtained from husks of processed rice undergoing decomposition for more than 8 months. Husks of freshly processed rice were pretreated by autoclave boiling for 20 minutes at a temperature of 121°C after mixing in Mandle’s media. The experimental test samples consisted of co-culture combinations and monocultures individually inoculated into various measured heat treated husks; additional control groups were also made. Non-reducing sugar, reducing sugar and total sugar were assayed at the seventh day following hydrolysis. The resulting filtrates of the various husks (treated and control experimental units) were subjected to 7 days fermentation with yeasts from palm wine as well as bakers’ yeasts. Values of the result indicated highest trends in the following treatments: T. mentagrophyte treated husks with soluble reducing sugar value of 2.66 ± 0.14 g/L, A. fumigatus treated husk with soluble non reducing sugar value of 18.08 ± 2.61%, co-culture of T. soudanense and T. rubrum treated husks gave total sugar value of 20.53 ± 2.73%. Fermented A. oryzae treated husk filtrate inoculated with palmwine yeasts had optimal bio-ethanol yield (120.82 ± 0.39 g/L) followed by A. oryzae and T. soudanense treated husks fermented with bakers yeasts with 60.60 ± 0.10 g/L bioethanol. Recognizable yields of bioethanol from palm wine yeast fermented husk as well as sugar from other treated husks were obtained.