Bioethanol production from pea hull aqueous extract as a novel substrate using Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Use of agricultural wastes as substrate for the production of bioethanol can help to solve environmental problems caused by inadequate discharge of waste. The production of bioethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae using pea hull aqueous extract as a substrate was evaluated in this work. Response surface methodology was employed to study the effect of different parameters such as inoculum concentration (3-7%), fermentation time (24-71 h) and pH (4.4, 4.8 and 5.2) on the production of bioethanol. Results revealed that highest bioethanol yield of 1.65% occurred at 6.8% inoculum concentration; 71 h of fermentation time in the medium with initial pH 5.2. The study highlights that pea hull aqueous extract can be utilized for bioethanol production with extended fermentation times.