13-09: Steam explosion and chemical pretreatments as an approach to the glucose production from Phragmites australis

Monday, April 29, 2013
Exhibit Hall
Ji-Su Kim, Ji Young Jung, Jeong Bin Nam, Si Young Ha and Jae-Kyung Yang, Environmental forest products, Gyeongsang National University, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
Phragmites australis is often recognized as a promising source of renewable energy. In the present study, steam explosion and chemical pretreatments was investigated as the pretreatment method to enhance the enzymatic digestibility of Phragmites australis cellulose to soluble sugars. Phragmites australis was submitted to steam explosion pretreatment at severity log R0 2.94; 3.33; 3.68; 4.03; 4.33 and 4.68. To improve enzymatic hydrolysis yields, the water-insoluble residue was further lignin degradation by a chemical pretreatment (1% NaOH, 1% H2O2 and methanol). The total gravimetric recovery of the steam explosion pretreatment at severity log R0 2.94; 3.33; 3.68; 4.03; 4.33 and 4.68 were 81.1%, 78.1%, 65.4%, 67.6%, 66.0% and 65.1%, respectively. Steam explosion pretreatment of Phragmites australis at severity log R0 4.03 resulted in significant hemicellulose solubilization (86.0%) with minimum cellulose loss, a total glucose yield of 27.6 g glucose / 100 g dry raw materials. After enzymatic hydrolysis of chemical pretreated Phragmites australis from the steam exploded at severity log R0 4.03, the conversion of cellulose to glucose was 85.9% (1% H2O2).