THE USAGE OF CARROT POMACE FOR BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION

The lignocellulosic substances such as agricultural wastes are promising feedstocks for bioethanol production. Because they are cost effective, renewable, abundant and not having primary value for food and feed. The current study suggests that improvements in polysaccharide hydrolysis of under-utilized biomass of carrot pomace may find practical use in its conversion to bioethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis fermentation. Some important parameters for bioethanol production such as pretreatment procedures (CaO and activated charcoal treatments), nitrogen sources ((NH)(2)SO4, soy wheat, cheese whey), and pomace loading amount (15-120 g/L) were optimized in the study. The highest bioethanol production could be achived when the saccharification and fermentation conditions were optimized in order to increase monosaccharide yield and fermentation of both six-carbon and five-carbon monosaccharides. The bioethanol production was 1.9-fold higher for S. cerevisiae and 4.6-fold higher for P. stipitis when (NH4)(2)SO4 was added in addition to the trace nitrogen substances, vitamins and minerals present in carrot pomace. The highest bioethanol production values were obtained as 6.91 and 2.66 g/L in the presence of 120 g/L pomace loading, 1 g/L (NH)(2)SO4 at the end of 72 hours incubation time at pH 6 by S. cerevisiae and P. stipitis, respectively.