Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of solid household waste following mild pretreatment using a mix of hydrolytic enzymes in combination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Ethanol production from low severity pretreated (85 °C, 1 h) solid household waste was studied using simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The aim of the study was to examine typical composition of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and to develop a simple method for simultaneous liquefaction and biofuels production. A model waste was prepared based on the composition of the organic waste in Masdar City. Chemical analysis of the OFMSW showed that it contained 37 % total solids with up to 57 g glucan/100 g total solid (TS). Hydrolysis of the wet OFMSW was carried out using a mix of hydrolytic enzymes: amylase, cellulase, protease, lipase, hemicellulase, and pectate lyase. The enzymatic hydrolysis using this enzyme mix was studied using different dilutions of the OFMSW at different enzyme loadings. This study has demonstrated that SSF of low severity pretreated OFMSW can be carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae without dilution (addition of water), and liquefaction of the undiluted OFMSW can be achieved in less than 24 h of hydrolysis. Also, SSF of the pretreated waste can be carried out with very low enzyme loading (10 % of the company recommended dosage)—0.1 % cellulase, 0.1 % amylase, 0.02 % protease, 0.02 % hemicellulase, 0.02 % lipase, and 0.02 % pectate lyase (w/w per TS) following mild heat pretreatment conditions of 85 °C for 1 h.