Production of bioethanol from empty fruit bunches cellulosic biomass and Avicel PH-101 cellulose

Cellulosic ethanol production was carried out using empty fruit bunches (EFB) via simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) method. The EFB was pretreated with alkaline treatment using 0.2 M of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution followed by mild acid hydrolysis using 3 % of sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and enzymatic saccharification using derived cellulose, Trichoderma reesei prior to fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Acid hydrolysis-pretreated samples shows the best substrates to be used in fermentation since it can produce the highest amount of glucose and highest percentage of saccharification with 5.3 mg/mL and 48 %, respectively.