New Pretreatment Improves Hydrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Biofuel Production

Efficient and cost-effective production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass depends on the development of a suitable pretreatment system. Chonnam National University's Seung Gon Wi and Eun Jin Cho led a team of researchers in investigating a new pretreatment method for downstream biocatalytic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, which can accelerate bioethanol commercialization.

The optimal conditions for the hydrogen peroxide–acetic acid (HPAC) pretreatment were two hours at a temperature of 80°C with the biomass mixed with equal volumes of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid. Compared to other pretreatments at the same conditions, HPAC was more effective at increasing enzymatic digestibility of the biomass. The pretreatment removed 97.2% of the lignin, resulting in a more efficient conversion of hydrolyzates into ethanol.

The newly developed HPAC pretreatment was highly effective for removing lignin from cell walls, resulting in enhanced enzymatic accessibility of the substrate and more efficient cellulose hydrolysis.