UJI KINERJA PADA PROSES PRODUKSI ETANOL MELALUI KOMBINASI PROSES FERMENTASI DAN STRIPPING

Abstract

Renewable energy necesity have promote research on ethanol production technology. Ethanol is the potential renewable energy substituting gasoline. However, the conventional problem is high price of the ethanol. The objective of this research was to test the performance of alternative process in producing ethanol, i.e. combination of fermentation process with ethanol stripping in trickle bed bioreactor. The experimental was using Saccharomyces cerevisiae FNCC 3012 and sugarcane bagass as bed particle. It was devided into 2 process steps of biofilm development and ethanol production. Biofilm development was done by circulating medium in bioreactor aerobically. Duration of the biofilm development was 24 hours and followed by ethanol production step which was combinating anaerobic fermentation and stripping process using nitrogen. Production process was conducted for 36 hours lifetime. This method resulted biofilm developing in fermentation medium, not on baggas surfaces. Consequently, ethanol production happened in circulated fermentation medium. The productivity of this method of ethanol production process was not better than the conventional process. Neverherless, the experimental showed that the product stripping and fermentation could be done simultaneously. The stripping process increased ethanol product concentration up to 25% higher than in the broth.