Mathematical modeling of the processs of hydrolysis of ethanol production through the enzymatic mechanism of Michaelis-Menten

Abstract

This article aimed to model the process of hydrolysis of ethanol production that made from plant sources such as potato, maize, cassava, and sugarcane. We used the enzymatic mechanism proposed by Mich-aelis-Menten to develop a mathematical model formed by a system of non-linear differential equations. With the application of the method, we obtained two solutions, an analytical solution obtained by extracting relation-ships of mass conservation referring to the chemical species involved in the enzymatic reaction and admitting a stationary state hypothesis, another numerical obtained through the numerical method of Runge-Kutta Classic 4th order. The results obtained are in agreement with data found in the literature for different concentrations of the species involved in the hydrolysis process. These results allow us to analyze better, and optimization of the ethanol production process, since enzymatic hydrolysis presents a sustainability advantage. Besides, it does not cause the enzyme molecules to break because it does not require high temperatures and pressure. Ethanol is an alternative to reduce environmental and energy problems in the world, considering the scarcity and high prices of fossil fuels, in addition to the pollution caused by them. Therefore, the production of bioethanol gains a keen interest in the domestic market.