Optimization of microwave assisted alkali pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of Banana pseudostem for bioethanol production

The aim of this research work is to optimize the microwave assisted alkali pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of banana pseudostem (BPS) for the production of bioethanol. Pretreatment of BPS was performed at different alkali concentration, liquid-solid ratio, temperature and microwave exposure time. Enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated BPS was done at constant cellulase enzyme loading and yield of reducing sugars (YRS) with respect to time was observed. It was found that when BPS was pretreated by 10 % NaOH with 4:1 liquid to solid ratio at 90 degrees C for 8 min, the yield of reducing sugars reached 84% by enzymatic hydrolysis of 110 h with cellulase enzyme loading of 30 FPU/g of solid. Compared with convection mode of heating of alkali pretreatment, microwave assisted alkali pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis was more effective for BPS.