Abstract:
A large amount of Cassava peel as biomass waste is generated by agricultural
activities, and it led to a new pursuit to exploit the utilization of biomass waste.
This research aimed to study the potential of Cassava peel as raw material for
bioethanol production. This study was performed in 2 main processes, acid
hydrolysis, and fermentation. The experiment was initiated by conducting acid
hydrolysis (ioo°C and 60 min) on Cassava peel’s starch using sulfonated carbon
catalyst palm oil empty fruit bunch (5%-w/v) to produce 13.53 g/L glucose. The
glucose contained hydrolysates then continued to ferment at 30°C. The effect of
fermentation time (h), pH, and shaking rate (rpm) of cassava peel’s starch
fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae was analyzed. The best result was
found at pH 4.5 and 50 rpm for a 24 h reaction with 3.75 g/L of bioethanol
concentration. This study revealed that Cassava peel is a promising feedstock for
biofuel production.
