Sugarcane bagasse, the most abundant agroindustrial lignocellulosic by-product in Mexico, was milled and thermally treated by autoclaving. Conditions of porosity and total solid content of the substrate were optimized for solid fermentation. Steamed bagasse was then treated with a mineral solution and inoculated with each strain, and incubated at 25, 45 or 60 ° C. After either 7 or 15 days of incubation, the material was treated with commercial cellulolytic enzymes Vizcozyme, Celluclast and Pulpzyme.
When compered to untreated controls, the biological pretreatment slightly increased reducing sugar yield (15%), after enzyme treatment of autoclaved sugarcane bagasse, But the referred yield was significantly lower than that obtained when alkaline pretreated bagasse was used.
Further improvements are needed to optimize solid fermentation for the delignification of sugarcane bagasse.