Citrus peels : a potential feedstock for bioethanol production

• Orange peels (OPs) and water unextractable orange peels (WUOPs) were evaluated as feedstocks for bioethanol production, applying simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF). Τhe fungi, Fusarium oxysporum F3 and Neurospora crassa DSM 1129, were grown aerobically under solid state cultivation (SSC) in order to produce the necessary enzymes for hydrolyzing the polysaccharides present in OPs. Following aerated growth and production of hydrolytic enzymes, OPs and WUOPs were fermented to bioethanol. Factors affecting bioethanol production such as, OP and WUOP concentration and the use of single fungal or mixed culture with S. cerevisiae, were investigated. Both microorganisms were capable of producing bioethanol in single or mixed cultures with S. cerevisiae. F. oxysporum F3 was a better ethanol producer than N. crassa in single or mixed cultures. Yields as high as 23 g of ethanol/100 g of added OPs and 19.98 g of ethanol/100 g of added WUOPs corresponding to 65% and 74%, respectively, of the theoretical yield based on total carbohydrate content of OPs or WUOPs, were achieved with F. oxysporum F3.

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