Upcycling of tetra pack waste cellulose into reducing sugars for bioethanol production using Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract Bioethanol production from waste materials offers a promising avenue for sustainable energy and waste management. In this study, fermentable sugars derived from tetra pack waste cellulose were biotransformed into bioethanol using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Tetra pack waste (180 g) yielded tetra pack cellulosic pulp (TPCP) of 145 g, after removing the different layers representing 80.56±0.32% of the original weight. Cellulase from Bacillus sp. RL-07, with a cellulolytic potential of 6.98±0.36 U/ml, released 32.72±0.12 mg/ml of reducing sugars, achieving 44.60±0.56% saccharification of TPCP under optimized conditions. Subsequent fermentation of the broth (1 L) with tetra pack cellulosic pulp hydrolysate (TPCPH) (50% v/v), containing 5.12 g of reducing sugars, by S. cerevisiaeyielded 1.42 g of bioethanol per g of reducing sugars under optimized conditions, with a volume productivity of 0.24 g/l/h and a purity of 96.42% was confirmed by GC/MS analysis. The findings of this research demonstrated the potential of tetra pack waste for bioethanol production, contributing to sustainable waste management, addressing energy shortages, and mitigating environmental pollution, thereby supporting goals of sustainable growth and development.