Title: The development of sorghum bran based bio-refinery process

Biography:

Oyenike Makanjuola obtained her B.Sc in Bowen University, Nigeria in 2011 and obtained her M.Sc at the University of Huddersfield in 2014 with a Distinction. As a result, she was awarded the Vice chancellor Scholarship for her PhD programme at the University of Huddersfiled. Oyenike is currently a 4^th year PhD student in the School of Applied Sciences, the University Of Huddersfield. Her research area focuses on the conversion of sorghum waste biomass and wheat straw into value added products.

Abstract

The project aims to develop a sorghum waste biomass based bio-refinery process to convert sorghum bran into value added products. Sorghum bran is a food waste rich in starch and cellulose, making it a suitable substrate for bio-refinery process development. Solid state and submerge fungal fermentations were carried out first to culture A. awamori for the production of gluco-amylase. Then the enzyme solutions were used for the enzymatic hydrolysis of sorghum bran for the production of a glucose rich fermentation medium. The impact of pH, temperature, yeast extract, mineral content and inoculation ratio on enzyme activities were investigated in both solid state fermentation and submerged fermentation. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to further optimize the gluco-amylase activity. The hydrolysis efficiency of sorghum bran using the enzyme solution was evaluated. Sorghum bran hydrolysate was used as substrate for the production of bio-ethanol demonstrating the feasibility of converting a sorghum waste biomass to value added products via a sustainable and environmental friendly process.