Application of acid hydrolysis and fermentation to barley hulls for the production of bioethanol

Abstract

In the Peruvian brewing industry, approximately 60% of the barley grain is used for beer production, while the other 40% is lost in the husk. In order to make the most of the lignocellulosic residue contained in the barley husk in a different way, the main objective of this research is to obtain bioethanol through acid hydrolysis and fermentation using yeast as a microorganism capable of decomposing the substrate. The result was obtained after making changes in temperature, acid and yeast concentration that the highest concentration of ethanol was 33.58%, the color of the solution was light brown and that the boiling temperature is 84.43°C. It is concluded that temperature and acid concentration have a positive effect on the hydrolysis of the compound but there is a point where additional increases may not be as beneficial. To optimize the process, the cost-benefit of using higher acid concentrations and temperatures must be evaluated.