Valorization Of Food Waste For Bioethanol Production: Towards A Circular Bioeconomy

Abstract

The global increase in energy demand and the environmental concerns associated with fossil fuels have intensified the need for renewable, sustainable energy sources. As a result, different approaches must be discovered. Bioethanol, a prominent biofuel, has emerged as a viable alternative due to its renewable nature and reduced environmental impact. This study, comprehensively utilizes the food waste collected from institute campus, several hotels and restaurants for bioethanol production, exploring its potential as a renewable energy source. The food waste was exposed to different pretreatment strategies for breaking the complex structure of cellulose and 4% H₂SO₄ was found to be effective revealing significant change in the composition of food waste with 58.9% cellulose, 32.4% hemicellulose and 10.3% lignin. Cellulase enzyme from Aspergillus niger was further utilized to hydrolyze the food waste and the effect of hydrolysis was confirmed using SEM analysis of the treated and untreated food wastes. A variety of factors influence the production of ethanol, and one such factor is the effect of ethanol on the growth of yeast.  The isolated Saccharomyces cerevisiae was able to utilize food waste and yielded bioethanol production of 74.7g/L. The presence of obtained ethanol was confirmed using chromic acid method. These findings would be useful to promote the shift towards sustainable bioethanol production from food waste, leading also in a step forward towards enhancing advances and sustainability practices on economically feasible exploitation of second-generation feedstocks for more effective environmental-friendly strategies.