Improved enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass through pretreatment with plasma electrolysis

A comprehensive research on plasma electrolysis as pretreatment method for water hyacinth (WH) was performed based on lignin content, crystalline structure, surface property, and enzymatic hydrolysis. A large number of active particles, such as HO and H 2 O 2 , generated by plasma electrolysis could decompose the lignin of the biomass samples and reduce the crystalline index. An efficient pretreatment process made use of WH pretreated at a load of 48 wt% (0.15–0.18 mm) in FeCl 3 solution for 30 min at 450 V. After the pretreatment, the sugar yield of WH was increased by 126.5% as compared with unpretreated samples.