I tried to ferment Sargassum Seaweed into alcohol but I got no alcohol reaction according to the hydrometer I used Red Star brewers yeast plain, then I used activated Red Star brewers yeast then I used brewers enzymes and another batch of Red Star. I got more bubbles after the enzymes use esp in the hot sun but I don’t know what the gas was. I got some burps on the bubble machine. I got a 1.000 reading on the alcohol hydrometer from my liquid sample which reads as pure water.
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it’s not gonna work like that. the bubbling might be methane, not sure.
Google AI Overview
Full article: Sargassum-to-energy: A review of bioethanol …
Sargassum seaweed can be fermented to produce ethanol, a biofuel, through a multi-step process. This process involves pretreatment of the seaweed, enzymatic hydrolysis to break down complex carbohydrates into fermentable sugars, and finally, fermentation of these sugars by microorganisms, typically yeast, into ethanol.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
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Pretreatment:
Sargassum seaweed contains high concentrations of carbohydrates, but these are often locked within complex structures like cellulose and hemicellulose.
Pretreatment methods, such as acid hydrolysis or steam explosion, are used to break down these structures and make the sugars more accessible for later fermentation.
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Hydrolysis:
Enzymes like cellulase are used to further break down the pretreated seaweed into simple sugars like glucose, xylose, and mannose.
This process is known as saccharification.
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Fermentation:
The resulting sugar-rich hydrolysate is then fermented by microorganisms like yeast (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae).
These microorganisms convert the sugars into ethanol through metabolic pathways.
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Ethanol Recovery:
The fermented mixture, containing ethanol and other byproducts, is then distilled to separate and purify the ethanol.
The recovered ethanol can then be used as a biofuel.
Key Considerations:
Pretreatment Optimization:
Finding the optimal pretreatment conditions is crucial for maximizing sugar yields and minimizing costs.
Microorganism Selection:
Different yeast strains may have varying efficiencies in fermenting different sugars.
Fermentation Conditions:
Factors like temperature, pH, and nutrient availability can affect fermentation efficiency.
Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP):
Some research focuses on using microorganisms that can both hydrolyze the seaweed and ferment the sugars, streamlining the process.
Second-generation biofuel:
Seaweed-derived ethanol is considered a “second-generation” biofuel, as it utilizes non-food biomass resources.
Environmental benefits:
Using seaweed for biofuel production can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and potentially mitigate the environmental impact of Sargassum blooms.
You have to use less technical approaches to test for natural generosity first before using things like exploding acid and cellulase. If sargassum ferments with only yeast then you have a whole slew of new useful mass. If you have to use cellulase then sargassum is no different then generic woody mass that we have now The cellulases have a so so reputation with only xylase working reliably. The internet papers say sargassum has xylose so testing for that approach is recommended.