Analytical flow systems for monitoring some chemical species produced during sugar fermentation for ethanol production

Author(s)

Silvia Regina Pessoa de Meneses

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/STB)
• Defense date: 2008-08-28

Examining board members

Elias Ayres Guidetti Zagatto; Luiz Carlos Basso; Eduardo Poggi e Borges; Dosil Pereira de Jesus; Boaventura Freire dos Reis

• Advisor: Elias Ayres Guidetti Zagatto

Abstract

Flow injection systems involving gas diffusion were designed for spectrophotometric determination of sulfide and sulfite in fermented sugarcane juices and molasses, aiming at yeast selection relying on their amounts produced during fermentation process. N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) e malachite green (MG) were used for sulfide and sulfite determinations, respectively. Reaction of sulfide with DMPD was developed in the presence of Fe(III) under acidic conditions, and yielded molybdenum blue (MB), which was monitored at 668 nm. The analytical signal was recorded as a peak with height proportional to the sulfide content in the sample. Reaction of sulfite with MG was developed under alkaline conditions, and caused a MG absorbance lessening monitored at 620 nm. The analytical signal was recorded as an inverted peak proportional to the sulfite concentration. For both determinations, the main involved parameters such as flow rates, reagent concentrations, pH of the reaction media, temperature, sample inserted volume, manifold geometry, as well as the presence of surfactants and concentrated electrolytes were investigated, allowing further system optimization. Due to analyte interactions with the carbonyl groups of some chemical species in the sample, as well as electrostatic attractions of the formed gaseous species by the solid suspended particles, the volatilization step constituted itself in a limiting factor for applying the procedures to in situ analysis. In this context, the need for a previous sample treatment was suggested. The proposed systems are rugged and yield precise results (r.s.d. < 2 %) at a sampling rate of 30 determinations per hour. Linearity of the analytical curves was noted up to 5.0 mg L-1 S-S2- or 25.0 mg L-1 S-SO2, detection limits were estimated as 0.04 mgL-1 S-S2- and 0.7 mg L-1 S-SO2, and the reagent consumptions were 0.6 mg DMPD and 0.002 mg MG per determination. Exploitation of the standard addition method for overcoming matrix effects was suggested (AU)