Energy recovery from two low-value date varieties

Algeria produces 500,000 tons of dates a year, 53% are common varieties (Ould El Hadj 2012 ) (1).Production of bioethanol from two varieties of dates that are not widely marketed, Degla Beïda and Timjouhart. We analysed the physicochemical composition of the raw material: water content, acidity, °Brix degree, total sugars, reducing sugars, fat and proteins. The extracted date juice was then fermented for 72 hours and distilled to purify the ethanol. After fermentation and distillation, analyses were carried out by GCMS. The results showed that the juices extracted from the two varieties were rich in total sugars, 62.89% and 56% respectively for Degla Beïda and Timjouhart, but low in protein and fat. With regard to alcoholic fermentation, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae proved effective in producing ethanol, with yields of 86.79 g/l for Degla Beïda dates and 68.64 g/l for Timjouhart dates. With the application of processing and bioprocessing technologies, these date varieties could be exploited for further opportunities in various industries.