Abstract
The improper management of underutilized tropical fruit wastes has led to severe environmental and health issues, particularly concerning PM2.5 and the greenhouse effect. Transforming these fruit wastes into value-added products is an innovative approach to mitigate its adverse impact on both the environment and human health. In this study, pomelo peel and banana peel were subjected to acid and alkaline pretreatment under the optimum conditions to enhance the sugar and ethanol yields. Both H2SO4 and NaOH pretreatment improved sugar yields from untreated pomelo (0.30 g sugar/g biomass) and banana peels (0.12 g sugar/g biomass). The highest yields obtained from NaOH-pretreated samples were increased by 2.56- and 3.19-fold times, respectively. Despite the enhanced sugar yield, the study also evaluated the effect of the dewaxing and washing process on the sugar yield. The study reveals that the sugar yield has further increased by incorporating the dewaxing and washing steps in the pretreatment process. Unwashed biomass after pretreatment has resulted in decreased sugar yield due to the presence of inhibitors. Furthermore, the study also evaluated the ethanol production from these biomasses, which confirms improved ethanol yield from the pretreated biomasses that were dewaxed and washed. The alkaline-pretreated, dewaxed, and washed pomelo peel and banana peel could produce 2.2- and 4.1-fold more ethanol than their untreated biomasses, respectively. Thus, this study provides valuable insight into the necessity of the dewaxing and washing process in the pretreatment for improved yield in the biorefining process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Patel A, Shah AR (2021) Integrated lignocellulosic biorefinery: gateway for production of second generation ethanol and value added products. J Bioresour Bioprod 6:108–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2021.02.001
El-Ramady H, Brevik EC, Bayoumi Y, Shalaby TA, El-Mahrouk ME, Taha N, Elbasiouny H, Elbehiry F, Amer M, Abdalla N, Prokisch J, Solberg SØ, Ling W (2022) An overview of agro-waste management in light of the water-energy-waste nexus. Sustainability 14(23):15717. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315717
Cheok CY, Mohd Adzahan N, Abdul Rahman R, Zainal Abedin NH, Hussain N, Sulaiman R, Chong GH (2016) Current trends of tropical fruit waste utilization. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 58(3):335–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2016.1176009
Ahmad T, Danish M (2018) Prospects of banana waste utilization in wastewater treatment: a review. J Environ Manage 206:330–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.10.061
Wang YJ, Li N, Ni GR, Zhou CH, Yin X, Huang HJ (2022) Recycling pomelo peel waste in the form of hydrochar obtained by microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization. Materials 15:9055. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15249055
Hoque ME, Rayhan AM, Shaily SI (2021) Natural fiber-based green composites: processing, properties and biomedical applications. Appl Sci Eng Prog 14(4):689–718. https://doi.org/10.14416/j.asep.2021.09.005
Li P, Cai D, Luo Z, Qin P, Chen C, Wang Y, Zhang C, Wang Z, Tan T (2016) Effect of acid pretreatment on different parts of corn stalk for second generation ethanol production. Bioresour Technol 206:86–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.01.077
Williams CL, Emerson RM, Tumuluru JS (2017) Biomass compositional analysis for conversion to renewable fuels and chemicals, in: Biomass Volume Estimation and Valorization for Energy. InTech 251–270. https://doi.org/10.5772/65777
Kádár Z, Schultz-Jensen N, Jensen JS, Hansen MAT, Leipold F, Bjerre AB (2015) Enhanced ethanol production by removal of cutin and epicuticular waxes of wheat straw by plasma assisted pretreatment. Biomass Bioenergy 81:26–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.05.012
Lan Y (2019) Waxes, in: Encyclopedia of Food Chemistry. Elsevier 312–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100596-5.22344-5
Gundupalli MP, Chuetor S, Cheenkachorn K, Rattanaporn K, Show PL, Cheng YS, Sriariyanun M (2021) Interferences of waxes on enzymatic saccharification and ethanol production from lignocellulose biomass. Bioengineering 8(11):171. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering8110171
Qi G, Peng F, Xiong L, Lin X, Huang C, Li H, Xinde CXC (2017) Extraction and characterization of wax from sugarcane bagasse and the enzymatic hydrolysis of dewaxed sugarcane bagasse. Prep Biochem Biotechnol 47:276–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826068.2016.1224246
Chatkaew C, Panakkal EJ, Rodiahwati W, Kirdponpattara S, Chuetor S, Sriariyanun M, Cheenkachorn K (2021) Effect of sodium hydroxide pretreatment on released sugar yields from pomelo peels for biofuel production. E3S Web Conf. 302:02015. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202130202015
Miller GL (1959) Use of dinitrosalicylic acid reagent for determination of reducing sugar. Anal Chem 31(3):426–428. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac60147a030
Segal L, Creely JJ, Martin AE, Conrad CM (1959) An empirical method for estimating the degree of crystallinity of native cellulose using the X-ray diffractometer. Text Res J 29:786–794. https://doi.org/10.1177/004051755902901003
Panakkal EJ, Cheenkachorn K, Chuetor S, Tantayotai P, Raina N, Cheng YS, Sriariyanun M (2022) Optimization of deep eutectic solvent pretreatment for bioethanol production from Napier grass. Sustain Energy Technol Assess 54:102856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2022.102856
Izzi A, Yusuf N, Ishak W, Kim H (2020) Box-Behnken-design based optimization strategy for alkaline pretreatment of palm oil mill effluent for producing reducing sugar. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci 596(1):012024. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/596/1/012024
Rai P, Ashutosh P, Anjana P (2019) Optimization of sugar release from banana peel powder waste (BPPW) using Box-Behnken design (BBD): BPPW to biohydrogen conversion. Int J Hydrog Energy 44:25505–25513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.07.168
Ramaraj R, Unpaprom Y (2019) Optimization of pretreatment condition for ethanol production from Cyperus difformis by response surface methodology. 3 Biotech 9:218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-019-1754-0
Pakchamni P, Afedzi AEK, Parakulsuksatid P (2022) Optimization of alkaline-assisted organosolv pretreatment of sugarcane trash for the production of succinic acid using response surface methodology. Biocatal Agric Biotechnol 43:102374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcab.2022.102374
Boontum A, Phetson J, Rodiawati W, Kitsubthawee K, Kuntothom T (2019) Characterization of diluted-acid pretreatment of water hyacinth. Appl Sci Eng Prog 12(4):253–263. https://doi.org/10.14416/j.asep.2019.09.003
Yildirim O, Ozkaya B, Altinbas M, Demir A (2021) Statistical optimization of dilute acid pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass by response surface methodology to obtain fermentable sugars for bioethanol production. Int J Energy Res 45:8882–8899. https://doi.org/10.1002/er.6423
Kim I, Han JI (2012) Optimization of alkaline pretreatment conditions for enhancing glucose yield of rice straw by response surface methodology. Biomass Bioenergy 46:210–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.08.024
Brienzo M, Ferreira S, Vicentim MP, de Souza W, Sant’Anna C (2014) Comparison study on the biomass recalcitrance of different tissue fractions of sugarcane culm. Bioenergy Res 7(4):1454–1465. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9487-8
Zhao J, Yang Y, Zhang M, Wang D (2021) Minimizing water consumption for sugar and lignin recovery via the integration of acid and alkali pretreated biomass and their mixed filtrate without post-washing. Bioresour Technol 337:125389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125389
Dharmalingam B, Tantayotai P, Panakkal EJ, Cheenkachorn K, Kirdponpattara S, Gundupalli MP, Cheng YS, Sriariyanun M (2023) Organic acid pretreatments and optimization techniques for mixed vegetable waste biomass conversion into biofuel production. Bioenergy Res 16:1667–1682. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-022-10517-y
Rizal N, Ibrahim M, Zakaria M, Abd-Aziz S, Yee P, Hassan M (2018) Pre-treatment of oil palm biomass for fermentable sugars production. Mol 23:1381. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23061381
Deshavath NN, Mohan M, Veeranki VD, Goud VV, Pinnamaneni SR, Benarjee T (2017) Dilute acid pretreatment of sorghum biomass to maximize the hemicellulose hydrolysis with minimized levels of fermentative inhibitors for bioethanol production. 3 Biotech 7:139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-017-0752-3
Wan G, Zhang Q, Li M, Jia Z, Guo C, Luo B, Wang S, Min D (2019) How pseudo-lignin is generated during dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment. J Agric Food Chem 67:10116–10125. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.9b02851
Liu Q, Li K, Liu CG, Zhao XQ, Bai FW, Sakdaronnarong C, Srinophakun P, Srinophakun TR (2020) Complex effects of wax on ionic liquid pretreatment of oil palm empty fruit bunch. Ind Crops Prod 152:112526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.112526
Ling Z, Chen S, Zhang X, Xu F (2017) Exploring crystalline-structural variations of cellulose during alkaline pretreatment for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis. Bioresour Technol 224:611–617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.10.064
Santos CC, de Souza W, Sant’Anna C, Brienzo M (2018) Elephant grass leaves have lower recalcitrance to acid pretreatment than stems, with higher potential for ethanol production. Ind Crops Prod 111:193–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.10.013
Tan J, Li Y, Tan X, Wu H, Li H, Yang S (2021) Advances in pretreatment of straw biomass for sugar production. Front Chem 9:696030. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.696030
Gao D, Haarmeyer C, Balan V, Whitehead TA, Dale BE, Chundawat SP (2014) Lignin triggers irreversible cellulase loss during pretreated lignocellulosic biomass saccharification. Biotechnol Biofuels 7:175. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-014-0175-x
Ummalyma SB, Baibhav K, Singh A (2022) Enzymatic digestibility of pretreated dewaxed bamboo residues as feedstock for bioethanol production. Syst Microbiol Biomanufacturing 2:716–722. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43393-022-00092-w
Rajan K, Carrier DJ (2014) Effect of dilute acid pretreatment conditions and washing on the production of inhibitors and on recovery of sugars during wheat straw enzymatic hydrolysis. Biomass Bioenergy 62:222–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2014.01.013
Zhao J, Yang Y, Zhang M, Wang D (2021) Effects of post-washing on pretreated biomass and hydrolysis of the mixture of acetic acid and sodium hydroxide pretreated biomass and their mixed filtrate. Bioresour Technol 339:125605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125605
Jönsson LJ, Martín C (2016) Pretreatment of lignocellulose: formation of inhibitory by-products and strategies for minimizing their effects. Bioresour Technol 199:103–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.10.009
Kim D (2018) Physico-chemical conversion of lignocellulose: inhibitor effects and detoxification strategies: a mini review. Molecules 23:309. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23020309
Huong VTT, Atjayutpokin T, Chinwatpaiboon P, Smith SM, Boonyuen S, Luengnaruemitchai A (2022) Two-stage acid-alkali pretreatment of vetiver grass to enhance the subsequent sugar release by cellulase digestion. Renew Energ 195:755–765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2022.06.069
Sahoo D, Ummalyma SB, Okram AK, Pandey A, Sankar M, Sukumaran RK (2018) Effect of dilute acid pretreatment of wild rice grass (Zizania latifolia) from Loktak Lake for enzymatic hydrolysis. Bioresour Technol 253:252–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2018.01.048
Chen L, Li J, Lu M, Guo X, Zhang H, Han L (2016) Integrated chemical and multi-scale structural analyses for the processes of acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover. Carbohydr Polym 141:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2015.12.079
Song C-L, Othman JB (2022) Synthesis and characterization of lignin-incorporated carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) films from oil palm lignocellulosic waste. Processes 10(11):2205. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10112205
Bouramdane Y, Fellak S, El Mansouri F, Boukir A (2022) Impact of natural degradation on the aged lignocellulose fibers of Moroccan cedar softwood: structural elucidation by infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Fermentation 8(12):698. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation8120698
Huang R, Cao M, Guo H, Qi W, Su R, He Z (2014) Enhanced ethanol production from pomelo peel waste by integrated hydrothermal treatment, multienzyme formulation, and fed-batch operation. J Agric Food Chem 62(20):4643–4651. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf405172a
Bondesson PM, Galbe M, Zacchi G (2013) Ethanol and biogas production after steam pretreatment of corn stover with or without the addition of sulphuric acid. Biotechnol Biofuels 6:11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1754-6834-6-11
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB-67-KNOW-07) for providing financial support and all other facilities for conducting the research.
Funding
This work is financially supported by King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB-67-KNOW-07).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Kraipat Cheenkachorn and Chaichana Chatkaew: investigation, methodology, writing – original draft. Elizabeth Jayex Panakkal and Santi Chuetor: formal analysis and data curation. Hassan El Bari, Ponnusami Venkatachalam, and Pau-Loke Show: data curation and reviewing and editing, investigation, reviewing and editing; Malinee Sriariyanun: conceptualization, data curation, writing – reviewing and editing, funding acquisition, project administration.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Cheenkachorn, K., Panakkal, E.J., Chatkaew, C. et al. Effect of coupling dewaxing and chemical pretreatment on valorization of waxy fruit wastes. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05501-9
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05501-9