•Ethanol yields of SFA1OE were around 0.492 g/g totalsugars in different hydrolysates.•Diploid strain SQ-2 displays improved ethanol yield and high temperature resistance.•Contributions of gene SFA1 on ethanol yields were evaluated in various hydrolysates.•SFA1OE with high ethanol yield fits to alkaline-distilled sweet sorghum bagasse. Here, an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain SFA1OE was constructed by overexpressing SFA1 in a reported WXY70 with effective six-gene clusters. Under simulated maize hydrolysate, SFA1OE produced an ethanol yield of 0.492 g/g totalsugars within 48 h. The productivity of SFA1OE was comprehensively evaluated in typical hydrolysates from stalks of maize, sweet sorghum, wheat and Miscanthus. Within 48 h, SFA1OE achieved an ethanol yield of 0.489 g/g totalsugars in the optimized hydrolysate of alkaline-distilled sweet sorghum bagasse derived from Advanced Solid-State Fermentation process. By crossing SFA1OE with a DQ1-derived haploid strain, we obtained an evolved diploid strain SQ-2, exhibiting improved ethanol production and thermotolerance. This study demonstrates that overexpressing SFA1 enables efficient fermentation performance in different lignocellulosic hydrolysates, especially in the hydrolysate of alkaline-distilled sweet sorghum bagasse. The increased cellulosic bioethanol production of SFA1OE provides a promising platform for efficient biorefineries.