Monday, May 2, 2011: 3:30 PM
Grand Ballroom B, 2nd fl (Sheraton Seattle)
The optimal H2SO4-catalyzed steam-explosion of wheat straw was determined in a three factor central composite design in a continuous pretreatment process (50 kg/h). Pretreatment of wheat straw was optimized in such a way, that the right combination of temperature, sulfuric acid concentration, and residence time in the continuous steam-explosion process resulted in:
- Optimal recovery of the heteroxylan-derived sugars (arabinose and xylose), ideally in a monomeric form
- Formations of inhibitors (primarily 2-furaldehyde, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) were minimized
- Accessibility of cellulose to cellulases was optimized
The optimal pretreatment conditions for wheat straw in the continuous pretreatment process will be shown, as well as the amount of monosaccharides recovered after pretreatment, the amount of inhibitors formed during pretreatment, and the enzyme dosage (mg EP/g DM) necessary to hydrolyse 80% of cellulose in pretreated wheat straw.