Abstract: Bioethanol production from duckweed (Lemna minor) plants is a promising approach to producing renewable energy. Due to its advantageous characteristics, such as being a non-food feedstock, the fastest-growing angiosperm, globally adaptable to various climates, capable of high starch accumulation under nutrient modifications, and possessing low to no lignin content, Lemna minor is a promising candidate for bioethanol production. This research aimed to produce starch-enhanced Lemna minor under conditions of nutritional starvation. The starch enhancement technique was standardized by performing experiments sequentially with organic manure, nitrogen-free Hoagland media, and full-strength Hoagland media. Initially, the starch quantity was found to be 7%. However, it was observed that during nitrogen stress, high starch accumulation occurred in Lemna minor, and on the 9th day, it reached its maximum, at 26% with a standard deviation of ±0.3. It was also observed that the protein, glucose, and fructose composition dropped during this experiment. One-way ANOVA analysis was performed for statistical analysis. It was found that during the starch enhancement experiment, the starch level was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in nitrogen-free Hoagland media compared to the organic manure. Therefore, Lemna minor may be used as a substitute for commercial food feedstocks in bioethanol production.
Vyas et al. (Mon,) studied this question.