DOI: https://doi.org/10.61435/ijred.2025.61568

Process Optimization in Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation System for Bioethanol and Silage Production from Pakchong Grass (Pennisetum purpureum cv Thailand)

1Department of Engineering Physics, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Jl. Arif Rahman Hakim, Surabaya, Indonesia, 60111, Indonesia

2Department of Engineering Physics, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Jl. Arif Rahman Hakim, Surabaya, Indonesia, 60111

3School of Interdisciplinary Management and Technology, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Jl. Cokroaminoto No. 12A, DR. Soetomo, Surabaya, Indonesia 60264, Indonesia

Received: 13 Jul 2025; Published: 12 Nov 2025.
Editor(s): H Hadiyanto
Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Centre of Biomass and Renewable Energy (CBIORE)
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

To support the 2060 Net Zero Emission (NZE) target under the Paris Agreement, increasing the proportion of bioethanol blends to 20–30% has become a national priority. However, limited sugarcane-derived bioethanol production in Indonesia highlights the urgent need for alternative biomass sources. Pennisetum purpureum cv. Thailand (Pakchong grass) presents a promising candidate due to its high biomass yield, low lignin content, and adaptability. This study aims to optimize the bioethanol and silage production processes from Pakchong grass through pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, and fermentation, utilizing a modified simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) scheme. Pretreatment optimization using NaOH (1–5%) revealed that 5% NaOH for 15 minutes effectively removed up to 70% lignin and 78% hemicellulose while retaining 66% cellulose. Enzymatic saccharification using 10 mg/mL cellulase for 5 days yielded 76.18% glucose conversion without requiring costly additives. Bioethanol fermentation was conducted using six fermentation schemes involving simultaneous (SSF), fed-batch (FSSF), and pre-saccharification strategies (PSFF). Among them, the two-feed FSSF (SE2) produced the highest ethanol yield (32 g/L, 95.41% efficiency), outperforming both conventional SSF (SE1) and PSFF variants. The findings emphasize the importance of synchronizing enzymatic hydrolysis with yeast metabolic activity. This work demonstrates the feasibility of integrated pretreatment and fermentation strategies for bioethanol production from Pakchong grass, offering insights for scalable and cost-effective renewable fuel development in tropical regions.

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Keywords: Bioethanol; Fermentation; Pretreatment; Optimization; Pakchong grass

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Section: Original Research Article
Language : EN
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