Preliminary study on technology for fuel ethanol fermentation with discarded tobacco leaves

Yunnan discarded tobacco leaves are good materials for fuel ethanol production because of their richness and high sugar contents. Technology for fuel ethanol fermentation with Yunnan discarded tobacco leaves was preliminarily studied using orthogonal experiments. Analyses of effects of various yeasts, various levels of nutrient supplement and various pretreatment methods of raw material on fermentation were mainly focused. The experimental results showed that: yeasts and levels of nutrition supplement did not significantly affect the ethanol fermentation. The use of pretreatment methods of removing nicotine and semi-solid-state fermentation methods could significantly increase the yield of fuel ethanol. The optimized fermentation technology based on comparisons of various treatment effects was put forward. In addition to fuel ethanol,the products of fermentation technology also included nicotine of important use.