Continuous ethanol production from nonsterilized carob pod extract by immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae on mineral kissiris using a two-reactor system.

The continuous production of ethanol from nonsterilized carob pod extract by immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae on mineral kissiris using one- and two-reactor systems has been investigated. A maximum ethanol productivity of 9.6 g/L/h was obtained at an initial sugar concentration of 200 g/L and D = 0.4 h-1 with 68% of theoretical yield and 34% of sugar utilization using the one-reactor system. At S0 = 200 g/L, D = 0.05 h-1, 83% of theoretical yield, and 64% of sugar utilization, an ethanol productivity of 2.6 g/L/h was achieved. In the two-reactor system, a maximum ethanol productivity of 11.4 g/L/h was obtained at S0 = 200 g/L and D = 0.4 h-1 with 68.5% of theoretical yield and 41.5% of sugar utilization. The two-reactor system was operated at a constant dilution rate of 0.3 h-1 for 60 d without loss of the original immobilized yeast activity. In this case, the average ethanol productivity, ethanol yield (% of theoretical), and sugar utilization were 10.7 g/L/h, 71.5%, and 48%, respectively.