Produção de Etanol Segunda Geração (E2G) em biorreatores a partir da biomassa do sorgo sacarino (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench): uma revisão bibliográfica.

Abstract

Nowadays, several issues have been discussed regarding the production and development of technologies for new energy sources. This is due to the growing concern with the environment, and the concern with the exhaustion and high prices of fossil fuels. All these impasses have led us to search for new sources of energy. One candidate that has shown great promise is second generation ethanol, because it is produced from lignocellulosic materials, and this biomass is considered waste, some examples of these materials are: sugarcane bagasse, corn straw, bean straw, etc. The biomass of sugar sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) has shown to be a strong candidate for the production of second generation ethanol, the sugar sorghum is a plant originally from Africa, to be more exact from the region where Ethiopia and Sudan are located. This plant has a high value because it is composed of three groups of susceptible materials for the fermentation process of ethanol, which are sugars (in the stem), starch (in the grains) and lignocellulosic material (in the bagasse). Considering that sugar sorghum is a strong candidate for the production of second generation ethanol, this paper sought to approach the processes of ethanol production using sugar sorghum biomass as a carbon source in bioreactors, which are containers used in fermentation processes, where chemical reactions catalyzed by "biocatalysts" occur, having the control of some important variables for the process, such as temperature and pH. Twelve scientific articles were found on the subject of our research and the use of sugar sorghum in ethanol production reduced off-season time and increased availability of ethanol in the market.