Canna Fuel Ethanol Solid-state Fermentation Technology

During eleventh five-year plan, the important crops of fuel ethanol development will are those which cannot compete for water and arable land with grain crop. In this work, technology conditions of ethanol fermentation were investigated. Furthermore, its economic feasibility was analyzed.The optimum technology of high gravity fermentation were ratio of material to water 1:2.2, a-amylase activity 5u/g C.edulis, liquefaction time 45 min, glucoamylase activity 150u/g C.edulis, saccharification time 23.2 min, pH 5.5, urea 0.1%, fermentation temperature 27.9℃, ADY 0.15%, fermentation time 48h, inert carrier 1%. The results indicated that the yields reach to 31.4% (95 vol.%, w/w), fermentation efficiency 85%.Solid state fermentation (SSF) indicated that 10.1% (v/v) of ethanol concentration can attain when 30% corncob and 20% rice bran was added for ethanol fermentation, ethanol conversion rates reach to 29.4%, fermentation efficiency 86%.The economic analysis showed fuel ethanol production from Canna edulis meal by SSF technology could produce satisfactory benefits. Processing costs are estimated at about 1.0926 yuan ($0.1366) per litre, net feedstock costs are estimated at about 1.0048 yuan per litre with total ethanol production costs estimated at 2.0974 yuan ($0.2622) per litre based on 2005-06 market prices. As an example to produce 100,000 ton fuel ethanol, the gross profit more than 400 million yuan and that coule let thousands people to obtain employment. The peasant can gain 340,000,000 yuan from feedstock, 6,000,000 yuan from straw, total income 346,000,000 yuan,11500 yuan per hectare (760/mu). Thus, C.edulis fuel ethanol system was feasible in technogy and economy. Industrialization of C.edulis fuel ethanol could increase peasant's income, provide new jobs for people, and promote local economic development.