Piotr Dziugan

Evaluation of the fermentation of high gravity thick sugar beet juice worts for efficient bioethanol production

BackgroundSugar beet and intermediates of sugar beet processing are considered to be very attractive feedstock for ethanol production due to their content of fermentable sugars. In particular, the processing of the intermediates into ethanol is considerably facilitated because it does not require pretreatment or enzymatic treatment in contrast to production from starch raw materials. Moreover, the advantage of thick juice is high solid substance and saccharose content which eliminates problems with the storability of this feedstock.ResultsThe objective of this study were to investigate bioethanol production from thick juice worts and the effects of their concentration, the type of mineral supplement, as well as the dose of yeast inoculum on fermentation dynamics and ethanol yield.The obtained results show that to ensure efficient ethanolic fermentation of high gravity thick juice worts, one needs to use a yeast strain with high ethanol tolerance and a large amount of inoculum. The highest ethanol yield (94.9 ± 2.8% of the theoretical yield) and sugars intake of 96.5 ± 2.9% were obtained after the fermentation of wort with an extract content of 250 g/kg supplemented with diammonium hydrogen phosphate (0.3 g/L of wort) and inoculated with 2 g of Ethanol Red dry yeast per L of wort. An increase in extract content in the fermentation medium from 250 g/L to 280 g/kg resulted in decreased efficiency of the process. Also the distillates originating from worts with an extract content of 250 g/kg were characterized by lower acetaldehyde concentration than those obtained from worts with an extract content of 280 g/kg.ConclusionsUnder the favorable conditions determined in our experiments, 38.9 ± 1.2 L of 100% (v/v) ethyl alcohol can be produced from 100 kg of thick juice. The obtained results show that the selection of process conditions and the yeast for the fermentation of worts with a higher sugar content can improve the economic performance of the alcohol-distilling industry due to more efficient ethanol production, reduced consumption of cooling water, and energy for ethanol distillation, as well as a decreased volume of fermentation stillage.

Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Sugar Beet Pulp for Efficient Bioethanol Production

Sugar beet pulp, a byproduct of sugar beet processing, can be used as a feedstock in second-generation ethanol production. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of pretreatment, of the dosage of cellulase and hemicellulase enzyme preparations used, and of aeration on the release of fermentable sugars and ethanol yield during simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of sugar beet pulp-based worts. Pressure-thermal pretreatment was applied to sugar beet pulp suspended in 2% w/w sulphuric acid solution at a ratio providing 12% dry matter. Enzymatic hydrolysis was conducted using Viscozyme and Ultraflo Max (Novozymes) enzyme preparations (0.015–0.02 mL/g dry matter). Two yeast strains were used for fermentation: Ethanol Red (S. cerevisiae) (1 g/L) and Pichia stipitis (0.5 g/L), applied sequentially. The results show that efficient simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of sugar beet pulp was achieved. A 6 h interval for enzymatic activation between the application of enzyme preparations and inoculation with Ethanol Red further improved the fermentation performance, with the highest ethanol concentration reaching 26.9 ± 1.2 g/L and 86.5 ± 2.1% fermentation efficiency relative to the theoretical yield.

The Trends and Prospects of Winemaking in Poland

Viticulture and winery origins in Poland date to the tenth century, but their tradition has been reborn in the last ten years, resulting in a development of small vineyards producing excellent wines not only for the local market. Due to the cold climate, usually short summers with moderate and low temperatures, the grapes are characterized by lower sugar content and higher acidity compared to those grown in the south of Europe. According to the European Union regulations, Poland was classified as the coldest wine-growing region (A) and officially acknowledged as a wine-producing country. The grapevine cultivars adopted to the harsh climatic conditions give the Polish grape wines some unique sensory features. The most popular varieties of grapes for the production of red wine are Regent, Rondo, Pinot Noir, Maréchal Foch, Cabernet Cortis, Tryumf Alzacji, Cascade and Dornfelder. For white wine production, Solaris, Riesling, Seyval Blanc, Pinot Gris, Johanniter, Jutrzenka, Hibernal, Aurora, Bianka, Traminer, Jutrzenka and Siberia are mostly used in Poland. This chapter presents Polish grape winery with its specificity and prospects for the future. The traditional products of Polish fermentation industry, fruit wines and meads, are also mentioned.

Products of sugar beet processing as raw materials for chemicals and biodegradable polymers

This paper presents an overview of alternative uses for products of sugar beet processing, especially sucrose, as chemical raw materials for the production of biodegradable polymers. Traditionally, sucrose has not been considered as a chemical raw material, because of its use in the food industry and high sugar prices. Beet pulp and beetroot leaves have also not been considered as raw materials for chemical production processes until recently. However, current changes in the European sugar market could lead to falling demand and overproduction of sucrose. Increases in the production of white sugar will also increase the production of waste biomass, as a result of the processing of larger quantities of sugar beet. This creates an opportunity for the development of new chemical technologies based on the use of products of sugar beet processing as raw materials. Promising methods for producing functionalized materials include the acidic hydrolysis of sugars (sucrose, biomass polysaccharides), the catalytic dehydration of monosaccharides to HMF followed by catalytic oxidation of HMF to FDCA and polymerization to biodegradable polymers. The technologies reviewed in this article will be of interest both to industry and science.

Utilization of Waste from Methane Fermentation in Lemnaceae Plant Breeding Intended for Energy Purposes

The increase in environmental pollution caused by waste from agro-food industry and methane fermentation in biogas plants is currently one of the most serious problems. More and more governments launch programs supporting biogas plant construction and conversing biogas into electric energy. One of the methods to utilize the waste from methane fermentation in biogas plants is its utilization as a culture medium for breeding Lemnaceae aquatic plants. Water biomass can be diversely used in agriculture, energy production, phytoremediation and as animal feed. The plants Spirodela polyrrhiza were cultured in a phytotronic room at 24 °C. The medium was supplemented with various concentrations of leachate coming from the process of methane fermentation from biogas plants. The following physiological parameters were measured (i) plant gas exchange i.e. net photosynthesis (mmol H2O/m−2 s−1), transpiration (mmol H2O/m−2 s−1), stomatal conductance (mmol H2O m−2 s−1), and intercellular CO2 concentration (μmol CO2 mol air−1), (ii) index of chlorophyll content and (iii) fresh and dry matter. The obtained results justified the use of post-fermentation leachate to supplement the culture medium thus indicating the possible way of its utilization. This method can be an efficient way to recycle waste from methane fermentation in biogas plants, to develop a cost-effective system of high-quality water biomass production with an array of applications in production of liquid and gaseous biofuels, in agriculture (animal feed, fertilizers) and phytoremediation. This will decrease the costs and limit environmental pollution.

Sugar Beet Pulp as a Source of Valuable Biotechnological Products

Abstract The sugar industry generates large amounts of various types of waste, such as sugar beet pulp, leaves, and molasses, which can be used as valuable substrates in biotechnology. Such biomass may be used for microbial cultivation to produce cellular proteins, organic acids, biologically important secondary metabolites, enzymes, prebiotic oligosaccharides, and other valuable products. However, before they can be used in biotechnological processes, it is necessary to pretreat the wastes to hydrolyze their biopolymers into simple compounds. This chapter describes the composition of sugar beet pulp, the chemical pretreatment methods that can be used to obtain suitable media for microbial cultivation, the microorganisms used in such biotechnological processes, and new strategies to produce valuable compounds, including lactic acid, propylene glycol, furfural, furfuryl alcohol, and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol. The solutions presented here have the potential to generate additional revenue for businesses, from the sale of new products, such as food, animal feed, and green chemicals.