Efficient hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass into free sugars for a future development processing a biorefinery context

Abstract

Abstract Due to the commitments for environment preservation, there has been a growing interest in the use of alternative energy sources for the production of bioproducts of added value. In this context, sisal has been considered a promising alternative to meet the global demand in a more sustainable way. Thus, the aim of this study was to optimize the acid hydrolysis of sisal bagasse to obtain hydrolyzed liquor rich in xylose and arabinose for a future development process in a biorefining context. Thermal analysis was held for bagasse characterization, and sugars and fermentation inhibitors (acetic acid, furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural) in the prehydrolyzed liquor. The 23 + 3 factorial experimental design was applied with a total of 11 experiments to investigate the influence of variables temperature, bagasse/acid diluted and acid concentration to evaluate the release of pentoses (xylose and arabinose) and hexose (glucose) in the prehydrolyzed liquor, fixing the reaction time in 1 h. The liquor from the acid hydrolysis should operate under conditions at levels −1 (110 oC, 1,5% and 1:12), obtaining pentose yields (xylose and arabinose), which are the best conditions indicated in planning with 34.39% conversion. It was observed that acid treatment liquor is very effective in providing high-susceptibility substrates for arabitol and xylitol production.