Cultivation of Aspergillus niger on sugarcane bagasse with vinasse

Abstract

Solid-state cultivation (SSC) involves growth of microorganism in absence or near-absence of free water, employing a natural or inert support. Ethanol production in Brazil from molasses or sugarcane juice generates large volumes of vinasse and sugarcane bagasse, a liquid nutrient medium and a potential carry for SSC, respectively. Consecutively to use the wastes, experiments were set up on packed bed column-reactor with sugarcane bagasse impregnated suspension of Aspergillus niger and vinasse with 80% moisture, 25°C, aeration flow-rate of 0.4L/min of water-saturated air, for 6 days. The results hint the efficiency of the SSC in this situation, with 1.45g of total acid per g of dry bagasse per day. The purpose is an alternative to right the major residues from sugarcane processing.