Evaluation of a continuous fermentation process at the industrial scale by an indirect ethanol yield calculation-method

CASTAGNARO, A.; DE BOECK, G.; RUIZ, M.; CANSECO GRELLET, M.A.; DANTUR, K.; AHMED, P.M.; WELIN, B.; GERÓNIMO, J.

San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina

Congreso; XXX Congress of the ISSCT; 2019

International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists

This work presents and compares two methods for the calculation of ethanol fermentation efficiency, one a traditional or direct method and the other an indirect method that analyzes the formation of different by-products of the fermentation process. Comparison between the two methods applied to at an industrial scale showed that the indirect one was more robust and yielded slightly higher fermentation efficiency values, but fermentation efficiency of the industrial process was found to be low (~75%). The results indicate that there is an urgent need for industrial process optimization, where the indirect calculation methodology will be an important tool to determine process losses.