Monday, April 30, 2012
Napoleon Ballroom C-D, 3rd fl (Sheraton New Orleans)
Pretreatment is an important step in the production of biofuels from lignocellulosic materials. This study focuses on alkaline pretreatment of Miscanthus and Saccharum varieties to determine their bioethanol production potential. These energy canes are being treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at concentrations ranging from 0.5-2% over treatment times up to 60 min at 121°C. Low temperature treatments will be investigated to reduce process cost while maintaining effectiveness. Extent of delignification and availability of carbohydrates in treated and untreated samples serves to estimate pretreatment efficiency. Efficiency of the pretreatments will be further evaluated by enzymatic hydrolysis using excess Cellic® Ctec2 at 30 - 40% (w/w) enzyme/biomass loading.