Improvement in cell growth and ethanol productivity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae due to poultry litter biochar

The effect of poultry litter biochar on Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth and ethanol fermentation was investigated for glucose, steam exploded corn stover and poplar wood. S. cerevisiae grew faster in both anaerobic and aerobic biochar medium than the control media. For the same initial concentration of glucose, the biochar medium glucose was consumed in 12 hours compared to 24 hours for control and the maximum ethanol productivity were higher for the biochar compared to the control medium. When the initial glucose concentration was increased the maximum ethanol productivity for the biochar media was more than two times that for the control. Similarly, addition of poultry litter biochar to steam exploded poplar wood and corn stover improved the ethanol productivity depending on the amount of biochar added to the fermentation medium. Thus, biochar is an effective additive to reduce ethanol fermentation time