1. Insights on Monosaccharides and Bioethanol Production from Sweet Sorghum Stalks Using Dilute Acid Pretreatment
- Author
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Rodica Mihaela Dinica, Simona-Florina Isticioaia, Luminița Georgescu, Bianca Furdui, Oana Emilia Constantin, Cristian-Teodor Buruiana, and Camelia Vizireanu
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,020209 energy ,Biomass ,Bioengineering ,02 engineering and technology ,Xylose ,lcsh:Chemical technology ,01 natural sciences ,lcsh:Chemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Hydrolysis ,010608 biotechnology ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous) ,Monosaccharide ,Hemicellulose ,lcsh:TP1-1185 ,Food science ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,sweet sorghum stalks ,Process Chemistry and Technology ,food and beverages ,simultaneous saccharification and fermentation ,chemistry ,monosaccharides ,lcsh:QD1-999 ,Biofuel ,bioethanol production ,Fermentation ,Sweet sorghum ,dilute acid pretreatment - Abstract
Sweet sorghum is a unique bioenergy crop that produces stalks with fermentable free sugars. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the production of hemicellulosic saccharides and bioethanol from sweet sorghum stalks (SSS) can be influenced by a dilute sulfuric acid (H2SO4) pretreatment under different isothermal conditions. The bioethanol production from untreated SSS and pretreated solid phases was achieved through the Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) process. A good SSS fractionation and an extensive hemicellulose hydrolysis into soluble saccharides were obtained, the most abundant hemicellulose-derived compounds present in the pretreated liquid phase being monosaccharides, with up to 17.22 g/L of glucose and 16.64 g/L of xylose in the pretreatments performed with 3% and 1% H2SO4 for 30 min at 134 °, C, respectively. The SSF process of untreated SSS allowed a maximum bioethanol concentration of 9.78 g/L, corresponding to a maximum glucan conversion into ethanol of 49.8%. Bioethanol production from untreated SSS led to a higher bioethanol concentration and conversion than in the case of using acid pretreated solid phases obtained under the most severe conditions (with 3% H2SO4 for 30, 60 and 120 min at 134 °, C), suggesting that, in the case of this biomass naturally rich in soluble sugars, the acidic pretreatment could negatively influence the fermentative process.
- Published
- 2020