BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM TEA FUNGAL BIOMASS GROWN ON TEA MANUFACTURE WASTE

Authors:
Manoj Narayani, Rasu Jayabalan

Abstract:
Tea fungus, which is used to prepare Kombucha tea (KT), is a symbiotic growth of acetic acid bacteria and osmophilic yeast strains in a thick jelly membrane, which has to be cultured in sugared tea. KT is composed of fermented tea broth and cellulosic pellicle layer. A portion of the cellulosic pellicle layer (tea fungus or kombucha) is used to start the next batch of fermentation, and the remaining portion is thrown as waste. Cellulose available in fungal tea biomass can be utilized as a substrate for bioethanol production. Tea waste material is the by-product produced during the process of black tea manufacture, which will be dumped in tea industries as waste material. It has been suggested that tea waste material can be utilized as a substrate for the growth of tea fungus. The growth of tea fungus is influenced by the concentration of sucrose, tea manufacture waste material, and surface area to depth ratio of culture medium. It was experimentally found that 7% of sucrose and 1% of tea manufacture waste is having an optimum yield of tea fungus growing in a shallow container with a very wide opening. Extract of tea waste material can be utilized as an inexpensive substrate for bioethanol production from fungal tea biomass. Today, economics are more favorable towards the development of alternative fuel sources with particular reference to alcohol. Bioethanol is a suitable candidate that can be used as a biodegradable fuel additive as an ethanol/diesel blend to combat the global fuel crisis by replacing fossil fuel-based fuels.

Keywords: acetic acid, black tea, cellulose, ethanol, ph, sucrose, tea waste material



Country: India

Citation: Doctoral dissertation

Study Mailing Address:
Department of Life Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela - 769008, Odisha, India
Phone no: 0661 2462688

Date Updated: March 2, 2020