ISSN: 2320-5407 Int. J. Adv. Res. 6(9), 877-884 877 Journal Homepage: - www.journalijar.com Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/7747 DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/7747 RESEARCH ARTICLE SEMI-SIMULTANOUS SACCHARIFICATION AND FERMENTATION OF Opuntia ficus-indica CLADODE FOR BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION USING WILD STRAIN. Cindy Mariel López-Domínguez, Manuel Octavio Ramírez-Sucre and Ingrid Mayanín Rodríguez-Buenfil. Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco, A.C. Sede Sureste, Interior del Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Yucatán, Tablaje catastral No. 31264, Km 5.5 carretera Sierra Papacal- Chuburná Puerto, 97302, Mérida, Yucatán, México. …………………………………………………………………………………………………….... Manuscript Info Abstract ……………………. ……………………………………………………………… Manuscript History Received: 23 July 2018 Final Accepted: 29 August 2018 Published: September 2018 Keywords:- Ethanol, cellulases, semi-simultaneous, saccharification, fermentation, Opuntia ficus-indica Semi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation processes (SSSF) are capable of improving ethanol production compared with separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) systems because there are reduce of enzymes inhibition due conversion of sugars by yeasts immediately after saccharification. In this work a wild Acinetobacter pittii bacterium and a wild Kluyveromyces marxianus yeast were used for SSSF process. The bacterium, isolated from decayed cladodes, had capacity of produce cellulases enzymes, while the yeast, isolated from termite stomach, had fermentative capacity. The SSSF was tested on Opuntia ficus-indica cladode flour medium (CFM) with and without agitation (0 and 200 rpm). Ethanol yields (Yp/s) obtained with CFM were 0.43±0.01 and 0.18±0.01 for 0 and 200 rpm, respectively, that represents 84% and 35% of efficiency of SSSF. Ethanol final concentrations reached 11.7±0.02 g/L and 5.80±0.02 g/L for 0 and 200 rpm, respectively. The ability of A. pittii for cellulases production combined with K. marxianus fermentation capacity in their bests conditions, represented in higher bioethanol production during SSSF. Copy Right, IJAR, 2018. All rights reserved. …………………………………………………………………………………………………….... Introduction:- Bioethanol was the first biofuel produced from sugar cane and corn as feedstocks. Currently these feedstocks are used for food production; however, great competition for arable land arises. This competition can be avoided by the use of lignocellulosic biomass as feedstock. Transformation of lignocellulosic biomass from municipal solid waste, forestry wastes, and agricultural residues (Cardona Alzate and Sánchez Toro, 2006) to energy fuels and chemicals has garnered considerable research and commercialization interest over the past few decades. Plants that can grow in arid, semi-arid, marginal, degraded, or abandoned lands have the potential to produce bioethanol due to the ability to rapidly absorb and store water in succulent tissues, with the capacity of tolerate large water losses. Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species from genera Opuntia are cultivated primarily as commercial fodder in semi-arid regions of Mexico. Nowadays, Opuntia ficus-indica represents a surplus of the Mexican agricultural industry. Recently, SIAP (2018) reported a production of 885,435 ton of cladodes in the country; as a result there is an interest in the use of O. ficus-indica cladodes for bioethanol production. The efficiency of the conversion of cladodes is limited by the recalcitrance of plant cell wall due to cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin presence. Thus, Corresponding Author:-Ingrid Mayanín Rodríguez-Buenfil (irodriguez@ciatej.mx) Address:- Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco, A.C. Sede Sureste, Interior del Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Yucatán, Tablaje catastral No. 31264, Km 5.5 carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, 97302, Mérida, Yucatán, México.