Resumen
Lignocellulosic biomass is an alternative and renewable source of energy for the production of second generation of bioethanol. Hydrolysis is a crucial process that is required to generate fermentable sugar from the lignocellulosic biomass for the sustainable production of bioethanol. Hence, the production of fermentable sugar from switchgrass using acid hydrolysis method was investigated in this study. Experimentation on the determination of acid for hydrolysis was carried out in order to identify the suitable type of acid for the effective hydrolysis process. The results revealed that sulphuric acid (H2SO4) is a better hydrolyzing agent than phosphoric acid (H3PO4). This study also analysed the impact of temperature, acid concentration and hydrolysis time on the yield of fermentable sugar of switchgrass. In conclusion, the optimal hydrolysis conditions that were temperature of 90°C, acid concentration of 3 %(w/v) and hydrolysis time of 4 hours. Under these conditions, a maximum yield of fermentable sugar of 11.31 g/L was obtained. Further recommendations for future research were also suggested in this study.