Abstract
Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is a critical step in removing substrate-specific barriers to the cellulolytic enzyme attack. The study compared the effectiveness of microwave-assisted alkali pretreatment and alkali treatment in the enzymatic saccharification of canola straw and oat hull. Microwave pretreatments were employed by immersing the biomass in dilute alkali solutions (NaOH and KOH) at concentrations of 0, 0.75, and 1.5% (w/v) for microwave-assisted heating times of 6, 12, and 18 min. Alkali treatments were carried out using the same procedure but by soaking and without microwave heating. The highest glucose yields after enzymatic saccharification of both canola straw and oat hull were obtained when these feedstocks were ground using 1.6 mm hammer mill screen size and subjected to microwave-assisted alkali pretreatment using 1.5% and 0.75% NaOH for 18 min, respectively. SEM analysis indicated a more significant modification in the structure of biomass samples subjected to microwave-assisted alkali pretreatment compared to untreated and alkali-treated biomass samples. Results indicated that microwave-assisted alkali pretreatment with short residence time is effective in improving the glucose yield of canola straw and oat hull during enzymatic saccharification.
Highlights
Lignocellulosic biomass is widely available, abundant at low cost, and a possible source of energy that is estimated to contribute up to 10% to 14% of the global energy supply [1, 2]
Dried canola straw was collected from the black soil zone in Maymont, SK and oat hull was sourced from Richardson Milling Ltd., Martensville, SK and stored at Enzymatic Saccharification of Canola Straw and Oat Hull Subjected to Microwave-Assisted
The proportional content of cellulose increased with increasing alkali concentration and microwave pretreatment time, while the lignin content was inversely related to microwave pretreatment time and alkali concentration
Summary
Lignocellulosic biomass is widely available, abundant at low cost, and a possible source of energy that is estimated to contribute up to 10% to 14% of the global energy supply [1, 2]. Sustainable biofuel and biomass-based transport fuel produced from cellulosic biomass is an energy-dense fuel characterized by lower carbon emissions compared to fossil-based petroleum [3]. Research reports indicated that global biofuels supply since 2000 has increased by a factor of 8% to equal 4% of the transport fuels in 2015 [4, 5]. Technologies aimed at converting agricultural biomass into bioethanol and bioproducts are being developed using different techniques [6]. The production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass utilizes biotechnological techniques to convert carbohydrate polymers in biomass into fermentable sugars, which are subsequently used for the production of ethanol and other. Research on the use of cellulosic biomass from the Canadian agricultural sector to produce energy, including bioethanol, is on-going [1]. The economic and environmental sustainability of bioethanol conversion from biomass may be affected by pretreatment efficiency, cost, and enzyme preparation [9, 10]
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