The current study was initiated to explore the potential of nipa (
Nypa fruticans) sap for bioethanol production in the presence of nutrient supplements and natural inorganic components available in the sap. Total chemical composition of nipa sap was 19.5 wt%, mainly composed of sucrose, glucose and fructose. Additionally, the elemental analysis of the sap gave 0.5 wt% inorganics with Na, K and Cl as its main components, corresponding to its habitat. Batch fermentative assays showed that the fermentation trend was similar between nipa and sugarcane sap with over 95% bioethanol yields in conditions with and without nutrient supplements. Further studies showed that, the natural inorganic components available in nipa sap played a significant role as nutrition materials for metabolic growth of microorganisms, consequently affecting the sap fermentability to bioethanol. As a whole, nipa sap showed some interesting characteristics in terms of fermentability without nutrient supplements making it a good alternative feedstock for bioethanol production.
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