Cellulase extraction from Pseudomonas fluorescens for efficient enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation with Pichia fermentans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae for cellulosic bioethanol production

¹ Centre for Waste Management
² Centre of Excellence for Energy Research
³ Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, 600 119, INDIA

^* Corresponding author: Email id: dawn@sathyabama.ac.in

Abstract

Cellulase enzymes of Pseudomonas fluorescens were extracted for the efficient Enzymatic hydrolysis of horticultural plant wastes. Horticultural plant rejects (shoots and leaves) of Tuber plants like Taro, giant Taro, Elephant yam and Potato were used as lignocellulosic substrates. These are allowed for Physical treatment, chemical treatment and enzymatic treatment, by following SSCF process for bioethanol production. In the enzymatic treatment, cellulolytic organisms (Pseudomonas fluorescens) were used to produce cellulase enzymes for the conversion of polymers into monomers from horticultural plant rejects. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia Fermentans were used along with cellulase enzymes in the SSCF process. Both of these organisms belong to the Saccharomycetaceae family. The lignocellulosic materials (Cellulose and Hemicellulose) have both hexose and pentose sugars, but Saccharomyces cerevisiae can ferment only hexose sugars. Cellulose has only hexose sugars but hemicellulose has both hexose and Pentose sugars. To ferment pentose sugars Pichia fermentans were explored here to get high ethanol yield. The use of Pichia fermentans was very efficient in fermenting pentose sugars and hence high yield was obtained. The cellulase extracted from Pseudomonas fluorescens are highly efficient in yielding more monomers from polymers and hence high ethanol was obtained on co fermentation