eng Oriental Scientific Publishing Company Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia 0973-1245 2017-09-25 14 3 945 951 10.13005/bbra/2528 27694 article S. Sivarathnakumar 1,2 G. Baskar 3 B. Bharathiraja 4 R. Praveen Kumar 2 S. Chozhavendhan 2 J. Vinoth Arulraj 2 Faculty of Bioengineering, Department of Biotechnology, Sathyabama University, Chennai. Department of Biotechnology, Arunai Engineering College, Tiruvannamalai. Department of Biotechnology, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai. Department of Chemical Engineering, Vel Tech High Tech Dr.Rangarajan, Dr.Sakuntala Engineering College, Chennai, India. Prosopis juliflora, a widely available perennial plant can be an alternative source to sugar-containing feedstock, which can be considered as a prospective lignocellulosic material for bioethanol production. In the present study, bark of Prosopis juliflora was subjected to hydrothermal coupled with nitric acid pre-treatment (3%(v/v)) followed by sonication. The composition of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, reducing sugars and inhibitors at each stage of pre-treatment were analysed. Further, delignified lignocellulosic biomass was subjected to Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) studies using Kluyveromyces marxianus (MTCC 1389) and commercial cellulase enzyme. The effect of operating parameters such as pH, temperature, substrate concentration and inoculum concentration were investigated and found to be 4.9, 41^oC, 3% v/v and 5% w/v respectively. The maximum bioethanol concentration achieved by fermentation of woody stem Prosopis juliflora using the yeast was found to be 21.45g/l. https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol14no3/prosopis-juliflora-bark-an-alternate-feedstock-in-the-production-of-bioethanol-using-thermo-tolerant-yeast-kluyveromyces-marxianus/ Kluyveromyces Marxianus;  Lignocellulosic Material; Prosopis Juliflora SSF;