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Alkaline peroxide delignification of agricultural residues to enhance enzymatic saccharification
Author(s) -
Gould J. Michael
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260260110
Subject(s) - hemicellulose , chemistry , hydrogen peroxide , lignin , corn stover , cellulose , cellulase , peroxide , residue (chemistry) , enzymatic hydrolysis , hydrolysis , straw , crop residue , depolymerization , trichoderma reesei , organic chemistry , inorganic chemistry , agriculture , ecology , biology
Abstract Approximately one‐half of the lignin and most of the hemicellulose present in agricultural residues such as wheat straw and corn stover are solubilized when the residue is treated at 25°C in an alkaline solution of hydrogen peroxide. The delignification reaction is most efficient when the ratio of hydrogen peroxide to substrate is at least 0.25 (w/w) and the pH is 11.5. The supernatant fraction from a given pretreatment, after addition of makeup peroxide and readjustment of the pH, can be recycled to treat at least six additional batches of substrate, resulting in a substantial concentration of hemicellulose and soluble lignin degradation products. Hydrolysis of the insoluble fraction with Trichoderma reesei cellulase after alkaline peroxide treatment yields glucose with almost 100% efficiency, based upon the cellulose content of the residue before treatment. These data indicate that alkaline peroxide pretreatment is a simple and efficient method for enhancing the enzymatic digestibility of lignocellulosic crop residues to levels approaching the theoretical maximum.