Etanol from water hyacinth: A preliminary study of chemical pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis

Considered a perennial plant, abundantly available, biodegradable and without competing with agricultural crops, the water hyacinth fulfills criteria considered necessary for biofuels production. The feasibility of producing ethanol from different pretreatments, in the liquor and in its broth after enzymatic hydrolysis, is investigated in this work. Only the liquor from the acidic pretreatment and after detoxification fermented well. An efficiently enzymatic hydrolysis occurred when the acidic and alkaline pretreatment were used, showing the action of these processes in the disruption of lignocellulose matrix, reaching higher sugars solubilization and, consequently, higher fermentation capacity.