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Encapsulation of yeast
"Production of Fermentative Ethanol from Lignocellulosic Materials by Encapsulated S. cerevisiae"
The project mostly deals with production of fuel ethanol from dilute acid wood hydrolyzate. Due to formation of many other components along with sugars over the acid hydrolysis which have inhibitory effect on the following fermentation step, this project has been concentrated on application of encapsulation technique to improve the fermentation efficiency and overcome the toxicity problems. Through the encapsulation, microbial cells are enclosed in the semi-permeable membrane and then cultured in the hydrolyzate medium. This membrane expected to be permeable for nutrients, oxygen, products and other growth factors. Effects of encapsulation on the physiology and morphology of the cells as well as encapsulated yeast performance would be investigated. In parallel, the characteristics of the membrane are to be improved to have better diffusion properties, biocompatibility, mechanical and chemical stability.