I was wondering if it was necessary to remove the cyanide present in cassava peels before applying dilute acid hydrolysis as a pretreatment step. In addition, if it is neccesary, can I please get suggestions on how to remove the cyanide before hydrolysis. Thanks.
No need to remove cyanide from cassava peel if hydrolysis is by dilute acid. Cyanide removal is required only for enzymatic hydrolysis. Cyanide can be effectively removed by soaking cassava peel in water for five hours.
Just to add to that...what if another pretreatment method like alkaline peroxide pretreatment is to be used, will there still be need to remove the cyanide first?
No need to remove cyanide for chemical hydrolysis. It is required only for biological/bio-chemical hydrolysis.
I agree with Selvaraju no need at all. But why you want to produce ethanol from cassava?
Cassava is very rich in starch (which is a precursor to bioethanol) and moreover Nigeria is reported as the world's largest producer of cassava so it is important to expand the usage range of the tubers instead of just storing them for just food uses alone.
I agree Andrew about the starch content, but maybe regular potatoes will do the trick, given that one can get much higher yields.
What is the average yield of cassava in Nigeria?
Also now with the virus that affects cassava, mostly in West Africa, is it wise to dedicate any investment for ethanol from cassava, or potato and or other cultivars?
Also in arid areas I believe that nopales is a much better choice. More uses and higher ethanol production.
Nigeria produces an estimated 38.2 million tonnes of cassava annually (data from 2007). This represents about 37 % of world output. So you see it is very important tuber crop in Nigeria. There hasn't been any reported case of serious pest or diseases affecting cassava production in Nigeria. Apparently the farmers have mastered the art of growing the crop.
Hi. You asked this question a few years back. Is there any finding you would like to share on the effect of Cyanide removal on chemical hydrolysis?
Thank you
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