Title: ENHANCING BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SWEET SORGHUM: IMPACT OF METAL IONS SUPPLEMENTATION ON HYDROLYSIS AND FERMENTATION
Authors: Hargono Hargono*, Kristinah Haryani, Angga Satria Wibawa, Addila Arrofa’hiya Tri Atqiyani and Kevin Setiadi Seng
Abstract:

The growing demand for sustainable energy and the environmental concerns associated with fossil fuel consumption have encouraged the development of bioethanol from renewable biomass. This study investigates the production of bioethanol from sweet sorghum stalks through integrated pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation processes. The pretreatment stage involved drying, size reduction, and filtration to enhance hydrolysis efficiency. Enzymatic hydrolysis was conducted using cellulase (1%) at 60°C for 6 hours, with the addition of metal ions (Mg²⁺ and Zn²⁺ at concentrations of 0–0.6 g/L) to improve the conversion of cellulose into reducing sugars. The hydrolysate, with substrate concentrations of 80 and 100 g/L, was subsequently fermented for five days using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with Fe²⁺ and K⁺ ions added to enhance ethanol production. The results showed that higher substrate concentration significantly increased reducing sugar levels, with the optimum obtained at 100 g/L. The addition of Mg²⁺ exhibited a more significant effect on sugar formation compared to Zn²⁺ during hydrolysis. In the fermentation stage, Fe²⁺ demonstrated a stronger influence on ethanol production than K⁺. Overall, the combination of higher substrate concentration and metal ion supplementation effectively improved both hydrolysis and fermentation performance. These findings highlight the potential of sweet sorghum stalks as a promising lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol production and demonstrate that the use of metal ions as cofactors can enhance process efficiency in a more sustainable and cost-effective manner.

Keywords: bioethanol, sweet sorghum, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, metal ions, renewable energy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52267/IJASER.2026.7303
PDF Download
Publication Certificate: Download
Date of Publication: 13-05-2026
Published Issue & Volume: Vol 7 Issue 3 May-June 2026