Different Types of Thermochemical Pretreatment and Optimization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Groundnut Shell

Abstract

The present study deals with the comparison of different types of pretreatment (thermo-dilute acid, thermo-dilute alkaline, microwave assisted thermo-dilute acid and microwave assisted thermo-dilute alkaline) of groundnut shell. Based on structural characterization (Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy) and reducing sugar yield, microwave assisted thermo-dilute alkaline pretreatment was found to be most suitable pretreatment option. Further enzymatic hydrolysis process of microwave assisted thermo-dilute alkaline pretreated biomass was optimized using statistical technique. Maximum reducing sugar yield (487.5 mg/g dry substrate) was found at substrate concentration 12%, tween 80 concentration 0.12% and incubation time 48 h. The present study showed that higher reducing sugar can be obtained at high substrate concentration from microwave assisted thermo-dilute alkaline pretreated biomass within shorter incubation time.