Effect of Fermentation on Production of Bioethanol from Peels of Cocoyam Using Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Bioethanol is an alternative to fossil fuel and it’s produced by fermentation of sugar components of plant materials. The effect of fermentation on production of bioethanol from peels of cocoyam using sequential mono-cultures and co-cultures of Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Standard methods were used to carry out isolation, identification and analysis of the samples. Sixty grams of cocoyam peels was dried and ground; and was subjected to heat pretreatment. Direct fermentation of cocoyam peels to ethanol by sequential monocultures and co-cultures of Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was done for 7 days during which reducing sugar yield, amylolytic activity rate, residual starch and ethanol yield were determined. Residual starch (9.18-4.42 g/100 ml) and reducing sugar (9.86-4.21% g/100 ml) yield decreases as fermentation progresses. Amylolytic activity rate (31.00-0 U/ml) and ethanol yields (5.65-0.00 g/100 ml) increased several-fold in co-cultures and mono-cultures. From this study, it is concluded that the peels of cocoyam can be employed for bioethanol production.