Bioethanol Production from Agricultural Food Waste – Banana Peels and Sugarcane Bagasse

Abstract

This study, titled“Bioethanol Production from Agricultural Food Waste - Banana Peels and Sugarcane Bagasse,” was conducted at the Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, to explore sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels through waste-based bioethanol production. Banana peels were obtained from Choba Market and sugarcane bagasse from Mile 3 vendors. The substrates underwent pretreatment using dilute hydrochloric acid (1–2% v/v) at 121 °C for 60 minutes and enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase and amylase at 50 °C for 48 hours to enhance sugar release. Fermentation was carried out with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis under anaerobic conditions for 72 hours. Proximate analysis revealed carbohydrate contents of 64.5% and 58.2% for banana peels and bagasse, respectively. Combined pretreatment yielded the highest reducing sugars161.8 mg/g for banana peels and 145.9 mg/g for bagasse. Ethanol yields were higher with Z. mobilis (28.0 g/L for banana peels and 29.5 g/L for bagasse) compared to S. cerevisiae, with statistical analysis (p < 0.05) confirming significant differences across pretreatment and microbial strains. When normalized to dry biomass, bagasse achieved higher efficiency (0.25 g ethanol/g biomass) than banana peels (0.21 g/g). The study concludes that both wastes are viable feedstocks for bioethanol production; banana peels favor rapid fermentability, and bagasse offers greater conversion efficiency. It is recommended that industrial bioethanol initiatives adopt combined pretreatment methods, leverage Z. mobilis for higher yields, and integrate waste-to-energy programs to enhance renewable energy production and reduce environmental pollution in Nigeria.