Development of glucose biosensor as an analytical tool in the production of second generation ethanol from coconut fiber

• Grant number: 17/03925-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Ivana Cesarino
• Grantee: Caruane Alves Donini
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among those present in the market, ethanol is considered the cleanest fuel because it is derived from renewable energy sources. However, its production process includes the use of biomasses, which are also used to feed the population. Therefore, the development and monitoring of new technologies for ethanol production from alternative sources of lignocellulosic biomass become extremely necessary. The lignocellulosic biomass may be in the form of bagasse, plant tip, shell, straw or other product which is the residue of agricultural production or human consumption, such as coconut. Coconut has a high consumption in Brazil, both by industry and by the population in general, has accumulated about 240 thousand tons of shell per year which are dumped into clandestine landfills and dumps, which take about 20 years to decompose. Given this fact, the coconut presents itself as an interesting biomass for the production of ethanol. In the process of etanol production should occur the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose, and, during this stage, the glucose accumulated in the bioreactor causes inhibition of the enzyme cellulase becoming a limiting factor and implying a lower production of this hexose. The low yield of ethanol production can be avoided if the concentration of this hexose were monitored over time. Therefore, it is proposed the development of a new glucose biosensor based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) biocomposite with the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx), to be used in the quantification of sugar in the hydrolyzed medium. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DONINI, CARUANE A.; SILVA, MARTIN K. L.; BRONZATO, GIOVANA R.; LEAO, ALCIDES L.; CESARINO, IVANA. Evaluation of a biosensor based on reduced graphene oxide and glucose oxidase enzyme on the monitoring of second-generation ethanol production. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, v. 24, n. 8, SI DEC 2019. Web of Science Citations: 1.