8-38: Liquid hot water pretreatment of oil palm empty fruit bunch

In the process of extraction of palm oil from oil palm fruit, oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is generated as a waste product. Lignocellulosic wastes can be used as a source of sugars for bioconversion to fuels and chemicals. These materials are low cost, renewable and widespread source of sugars. Among different pretreatment processes of lignocellulosic materials, a liquid hot water pretreatment does not need the use of acid or alkali resistant materials and the neutralization of effluents due to not employing any catalysts. The objectives of the present study were to understand the behavior of glucose and xylose during the pretreatment and to determine optimum condition to maximize both xylose and glucose yield. The EFB biomass was comprised of 42.6% glucan, 21.0% xylan, and 21.1% lignin. The reaction temperature for a liquid hot water pretreatment was 170°C, 180°C, and 190°C. The solid to liquid ratio was 1:20(w/v). As the temperature increased, the solid recovery yield decreased. The yield of xylose gradually increased with time and then decreased. Xylose was partially degraded to furfural as a by-product. Production of furfural increased with time as well as temperature. The time to reach maximum yield of xylose decreased with the increase of temperature. Optimum condition to obtain maximum yield of total sugar including glucose and xylose will be determined soon.