Experimental Production of Biofuel using Lactose as an Enhancer to Aspergillus Niger and Saccharomyces Cerevisae

Nigeria is a rich nation in natural resources, which includes source of biofuel such as sweet potato starch etc. This starch can be converted to sugar through hydrolysis process in other to yield ethanol (biofuel). In this research work, the sweet potato peels was selected as a substrate for bioethanol production in the process, as it is rich in starch and cellulose. In this study, 5g, 10g, 15g, 20g and 25g each was weighed lactose and added to the Aspergillus Niger and Saccharomyces Cerevisae, the highest yield recorded when 20g of lactose was introduced. This achievement was observed after seven days, and the concentration of 91 ppm was highest for the sample containing 25g of lactose. The study also revealed that when lactose was added to fermentation medium together with enzyme Aspergillus Niger, the results obtained show that the 20g lactose represent a highest yield of biofuel production. In summary, the increase and subsequent decrease in pH and specific gravity of each fermented sample indicated that the reaction (fermentation) was actually occurred, that is, the conversion of the substrate to products as well as the release of CO2 as the by-product took place. Keywords: Aspergillus Niger, biofuel, starch and cellulose