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So far, a large number of pretreatment methods have garnered significant attention aimed only at optimizing the reducing sugar and bioethanol yields. This study however, carried out pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) using hydrothermal, organosolv, alkaline and alkaline peroxide pretreatment methods comparing their process performance. An evaluation of the energy consumption parameter during pretreatment showed lowest energy use (0.619 kWh/kg) during 5% alkaline peroxide pretreatment. The energy efficiency (0.162 kg bioethanol/kWh) was thus highest whereas the waste generation was lowest (38.895 kg waste/kg bioethanol) during alkaline peroxide pretreatment process. The solid biomass was utilized for enzymatic saccharification and bioethanol fermentation using SSF. Maximum enzyme efficiency and bioethanol yields achieved were 85.02% and 0.101 kg bioethanol/kg biomass respectively. Process performance evaluation can be projected to open up a new avenue for practical implementations of life cycle analysis (LCA) and techno-economic assessment aiding the circular bio-economy approach. [Display omitted] • Chemical pretreatment technologies investigated for process performance evaluation. • Energy efficiency and waste generation used to evaluate process performance. • 0.162 kg bioethanol/kWh- energy efficiency during alkaline peroxide pretreatment. • Also, lowest waste generation (38.895 kg waste/kg bioethanol) was recorded. • NaOH and H 2 O 2 at 5% (w/w) chemical concentration was most effective pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the performance of recycled polypropylene (RPP)/peanut shell powder (PSP) composites with untreated PSP and treated PSP with alkaline peroxide. The RPP/PSP and RPP/PSPH2O2 composites were prepared by melt mixing and compression molding at different PSP loadings (10 wt.% to 40 wt.%). The samples were characterized by processing properties, tensile properties, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and water absorption behavior. The treated PSP enhanced the stabilization torque, tensile strength, elongation at break, tensile modulus, and water absorption of RPP/PSP-H2O2 composites. FTIR spectra and SEM showed that the elimination of lignin content strongly influenced the fractured surface and chemical characteristics of the RPP/PSP-H2O2 composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major challenge for natural fiber composites is their inherent poor adhesion between fiber and the matrix, high moisture absorption, and UV degradation. Lignin and hemicelluloses are the major composites of natural fiber which are responsible for UV degradation and moisture absorption, respectively. In this study, the lignocelluloses (oil palm empty fruit bunch) were treated with alkaline peroxide to separate lignin and hemicelluloses. Composites were produced with treated and untreated fibers using up to 45% fiber with polypropylene matrix using twin-screw extruder followed by injection molding. To improve the interfacial bonding, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used as a coupling agent in the formulation. Properties of composites were evaluated using tensile testing, flexural testing, impact testing, SEM, and FTIR. The tensile, flexural, and impact properties were found to be improved with alkaline peroxide-treated fiber composites compared to untreated fiber composites. Addition of coupling agent (MAPP) also found to provide improved properties of composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The cellulose content of substrate is one of the most important factors for ethanol production from lignocellulose. To increase the cellulose content of substrate and ethanol yield in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), a pretreatment method coupling steam explosion with alkaline peroxide for wheat straw was studied. After the complex pretreatment, the cellulose content in wheat straw increased from 31.5% to 67.2%. In the hydrolysate of wheat straw pretreated with the complex method and steam explosion, the glucose concentration was 110.9g/L and 67.8g/L, respectively. The optimal conditions for SSF were 40°C, 120h, cellulase loading 40FPU/(g wheat straw), yeast inoculum 10% (v/v) and substrate concentration 16.7% (w/v). Under the optimal conditions, the total ethanol concentration in SSF of wheat straw pretreated with steam explosion and alkaline peroxide reached 51.5g/L, and an overall yield of 81.1% was obtained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Treatment of dewaxed oil palm frond fiber; fast-growing poplar wood; maize stems; and barley, wheat, rice, and rye straws with 2.0% H2O2 at pH 11.6 for 16 hr at 45°C solubilized 85.7%, 49.5%, 78.2%, 79.7%, 87.1%, 92.7%, and 79.4% of the original hemicelluloses and 72.1%, 24.9%, 87.3%, 70.9%, 85.7%, 88.6%, and 89.8% of the original lignin, respectively. The results indicated that hydrogen peroxide at pH 11.6 had a significant effect on the release of hemicelluloses and delignification from oil palm frond fiber and cereal straws such as maize stems and barley, wheat, rice, and rye straws under the condition used. All the hemicellulosic preparations were much lighter in color and had relatively lower amounts of associated lignin than those obtained using traditional alkaline extraction in the absence of peroxide from the corresponding lignified materials. Xylose is the dominant sugar component in the hemicellulosic preparations isolated from oil palm frond fiber, fast-growing poplar wood, maize stems, and barley, wheat and rye straws, whereas the hemicelluloses obtained from rice straw are rich in glucose and xylose. The seven hemicellulosic samples were also studied by fourier transform infrared(FT-IR} and 1H- and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography(GPC), and thermal analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]