Comparative study on ethanol production from pretreated sugarcane bagasse using immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae on various matrices

Microwave alkali pretreated sugarcane bagasse was used as a substrate for production of cellulolytic enzymes, needed for biomass hydrolysis. The pretreated sugarcane bagasse was enzymatic hydrolyzed by crude unprocessed enzymes cellulase (Filter paper activity 9.4 FPU/g), endoglucanase (carboxymethylcellulase, 148 IU/g), β-glucosidase (116 IU/g) and xylanase (201 IU/g) produced by Aspergillus flavus using pretreated sugarcane bagasse as substrate under solid state fermentation. Concentrated enzymatic hydrolyzate was used for ethanol production using Saccharomyces cerevisiae immobilized on various matrices. The yield of ethanol was 0.44 g_p/g_s in case of yeast immobilized sugarcane bagasse, 0.38 g_p/g_s using Ca-alginate and 0.33 g_p/g_s using agar-agar as immobilization matrices. The immobilized yeast studied up to 10 cycles in case of immobilized sugarcane bagasse and up to 4 cycles in case of agar-agar and calcium alginate for ethanol production under repeated batch fermentation study.     

Production of pulp, ethanol and lignin from sugarcane bagasse by alkali-peracetic acid delignification

A two-stage process for delignification of sugarcane bagasse with alkali and peracetic acid (PAA) to produce of pulp, ethanol and lignin products was reported. By this process, sugarcane bagasse can be converted to high-quality pulp, ethanol and lignin products under mild conditions. The obtained pulp had higher brightness and superior strength properties than corresponding kraft pulp. The pulp was also very easy to digest by cellulase, and well suitable for simultaneous saccharification fermentation (SSF) to produce ethanol. The obtained lignins were characterized by several chemical and instrumental analyses. It was found that PAA lignin had higher oxygen content and lower molecular weight. This process is environment-friendly because no sulfur and chlorine were introduced and less wastewater was let. It also can be easily fulfilled by improving a conventional pulping mill based on the existing equipments.     

Investigation of wheat straw biodegradation by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Production of renewable fuels and chemicals from biomass requires an efficient pretreatment technology, which further depends on better understanding of biodegradation process of such lignocellulosic biomass. The biodegradation of wheat straw by Phanerochaete chrysosporium was investigated in this study. The fungal secretomes and compositional, functional groups and structural changes of the fungal spent wheat straw lignin were determined. The result showed ∼ 30% loss of total lignin within three weeks of biopretreatment by P. chrysosporium. Detailed structural analysis through two dimentional heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence nuclear magnatic resonance (2D HMQC NMR) of the pretreated lignin (acetylated) revealed low abundance of substructures D (dibenzodioxacin) and E (cinnamyl alcohol). Further, analysis of lignin by Fourier Transmission Infrared (FTIR) and Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) demonstrated the significant decrease of guaiacyl (G) units. The results support the previous findings in the biodegradation of wheat straw analyzed by ¹³C cross polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS). Revealing the characteristic behavior of P. chrysosporium mediated biomass degradation, the information presented in this paper offers new insights for understanding the biological lignin degradation of wheat straw by P. chrysosporium.     

Altering the relative abundance of hydroxycinnamic acids enhances the cell wall digestibility of high-lignin sugarcane

Agricultural production of energy crops such as sugarcane (Saccharum spp. L) will be necessary to ensure a reliable supply of cellulosic feedstock to manufacture future renewable products such as biofuels. Complete enzymatic saccharification of this cellulosic material is challenging. Targeted breeding of sugarcane to attain specific cell wall characteristics could improve cell wall digestibility (CWD). With the goal of devising criteria for choosing suitable sugarcane candidates, we measured the CWD and cell wall composition (lignin, structural polysaccharides, hydroxycinnamic acids (HCA), and lignin monomers) of stalk tissue from 34 sugarcane genotypes (Saccharum hybrids). CWD and acid insoluble lignin (AIL) were negatively correlated. The relative amount of syringyl and guaiacyl lignin monomers did not affect CWD. Individual HCA’s, p-coumaric acid (CA) and ferulic acid (FA), also influenced CWD but to a lesser extent than AIL. CWD was negatively correlated to etherified CA and FA but positively correlated to esterified FA. A CWD model was constructed using AIL and the esterified to etherified FA ratio as predictors. This empirical model explained 63% of the observed CWD variance. The model supported the notion that CWD could be improved by increasing the esterified to etherified FA ratio in conjunction with a moderate attenuation to lignification. This may be a promising tactic to avoid problems associated with low lignification.     

Plant-associated microbial communities converge in fermentative hydrogen production and form a core microbiome

This study presents the taxonomic characterization and fermentative activity of bacteria and fungi present in four plant-associated microbial communities: corn stover (CS), wheat straw (WS), sugarcane bagasse (SCB), and agave bagasse (AB). Fiber soaking, fermentation number, and organic loading rate (OLR) were studied in semicontinuous reactors fed with untreated substrates under a consolidated bioprocessing approach. WS, SCB, and AB communities converged to a core microbiome with the predominance of Lactobacillus, Clostridium, Enterobacter, and the fungus Pichia. After the fourth fermentation, hydrogen productivity became stable and similar among microbial communities (1.62 L-H₂/kg-day), except for the CS community. The OLR increase promoted the hydrogen production from lactate and acetate. Lactobacillus positively correlated with H₂ productivity and polysaccharide degradation, and Clostridium positively correlated only with polysaccharide degradation. Results demonstrated that Lactobacillus played a key role in producing high hydrogen productivities from lignocellulosic substrates. While the OLR increase promoted metabolic pathways that favored fermentative hydrogen production.     

Utilization of pineapple stem juice to enhance enzyme-hydrolytic efficiency for sugarcane bagasse after an optimized pre-treatment with alkaline peroxide

The enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse was investigated by treating a peroxide–alkaline bagasse with a pineapple stem juice, xylanase and cellulase. Pre-treatment procedures of sugarcane bagasse with alkaline hydrogen peroxide were evaluated and compared. Analyses were performed using 2⁴ factorial designs, with pre-treatment time, temperature, magnesium sulfate and hydrogen peroxide concentration as factors. The responses evaluated were the yield of cellobiose and glucose released from pretreated bagasse after enzymatic hydrolysis. The results show that the highest enzymatic conversion was obtained for bagasse using 2% hydrogen peroxide at 60 °C for 16 h in the presence of 0.5% magnesium sulfate. Bagasse (5%) was treated with pineapple stem extract, which contains mixtures of protease and esterase, in combination with xylanase and cellulase. It was observed that the amount of glucose and cellobiose released from bagasse increased with the mixture of enzymes. It is believed that the enzymes present in pineapple extracts are capable of hydrolyze specific linkages that would facilitate the action of digesting plant cell walls enzymes. This increases the amount of glucose and other hexoses that are released during the enzymatic treatment and also reduces the amount of cellulase necessary in a typical hydrolysis.     

Parametric gasification process of sugarcane bagasse for syngas production

This research focuses on parametric influence on product distribution and syngas production from conventional gasification. Three experimental parameters at three different levels of temperature (700, 800 and 900 °C), sugarcane bagasse loading (2, 3 and 4 g) and residence time (10, 20 and 30 min) were studied using horizontal axis tubular furnace. Response Surface Methodology supported by central composite design was adopted in order to investigate parameters impact on product distribution (i.e., gas, tar and char) and gaseous products (i.e., H₂, CO, CO₂ and CH₄). The highest H₂ fraction obtained was 42.88 mol% (36.91 g-H₂ kg-biomass⁻¹) at 3 g of sugarcane bagasse loading, 900 °C and 30 min reaction time. The temperature was identified as the most influential parameter followed by reaction time for H₂ production and diminishing the bio-tar and char yields. An increase in sugarcane bagasse loading, on other hand, favored the production of bio-tar, CO₂ and CH₄ production. The statistical analysis verified temperature as most significant (p-value 0.0008) amongst the parameters investigated for sugarcane bagasse biomass gasification.     

Potential of bio-hydrogen production from dark fermentation of crop residues: A review

This study provided an estimate of the potential of bio-hydrogen production from dark fermentation of crop residues on a worldwide scale. The different crop residues reviewed included sugarcane tops, leaves and bagasse, corn straw, corn cob and corn stover, wheat straw, rice straw and husk, soybean straw, oil palm trunk and empty fruit bunch, sugar beet pulp, cassava residue, barley straw and sweet sorghum bagasse. Among these crop residues, wheat and rice straws are produced in the highest amount although sugarcane dominates crop production on a worldwide scale. Based on the bio-hydrogen yields reported in literature, estimated worldwide bio-hydrogen potential is highest for untreated rice straw at 58,002 Mm³/year followed by untreated wheat straw at 34,680 Mm³/year. This corresponds to a bio-energy potential of 623 PJ/year and 373 PJ/year for raw rice straw and wheat straw respectively while pre-treatment of the crop residues significantly increases the bio-hydrogen and bio-energy potential. While dark fermentation of crop residues offers a huge bio-energy potential, the process suffers from several constraints that hinder its implementation. As such, coupling of the dark fermentation process with the anaerobic digestion process as a two-stage process seems the most economically viable option for large-scale implementation.     

Influence of storage conditions on the production of hydrocarbons from herbaceous biomass

An agricultural residue, sugarcane bagasse (Saccharum spp., hybrid), was used in this study and was stored in piles for 3–26 weeks. Analytical pyrolysis of fresh bagasse samples and samples taken from the center of the bagasse piles after 3.25, 6.5, 13 and 26 weeks of storage showed only small changes in their chemical compositions (pentosans, hexosans and lignin). However, samples taken from the outer surface layer (pile crust) had significantly lower contents of pentosans and hexosans and higher contents of lignin compared to the fresh samples. Samples taken from microbially degraded portions of the pile (composting fraction) showed preferential degradation of the pentosans relative to the hexosans and lignin. The pentosan content of the composting fraction was significantly lower than that from the fresh samples and samples from the centers of the piles. Because of the preferential degradation of the pentosans, the hexosans and lignin contents were relatively higher for the composting fraction compared to the fresh samples. These results clearly indicate that most of the deterioration observed in the bagasse piles occurred on the outer surface layers.

Catalytic upgrading of the bagasse pyrolysis vapors also showed that the yield of hydrocarbons from the pile crust was 23% lower than that for the fresh material. However, there were no significant differences between the yields of hydrocarbons from the fresh samples and samples taken from the center of the pile after 3.25, 6.5, 13 and 26 weeks of storage.     

Enhancing saccharification of Agave tequilana bagasse by oxidative delignification and enzymatic synergism for the production of hydrogen and methane

Agave tequilana bagasse is a suitable lignocellulosic residue for energy production. However, the presence of lignin and the heterogeneous structure of hemicellulose may hinder the availability of polysaccharides. In this work, the pretreatment of A. tequilana bagasse with alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) followed by enzymatic saccharification with hemicellulases and cellulases was assessed for the removal of lignin and extraction of fermentable sugars, respectively. Results of the AHP pretreatment indicated that it is possible to attain up to 97% delignification and recover 88% of cellulose and hemicellulose after only 1.5 h of treatment. Regarding the saccharification process, the total sugar yield and productivity were both increased by 2-fold using an enzymatic mixture (cellulases + hemicellulases) compared to single enzyme hydrolysis (cellulases), evidencing synergism. Further evaluation of the hydrolyzates as substrate for hydrogen and methane production, resulted in yields 1.5 and 3.6-times (215.14 ± 13 L H₂ and 393.4 ± 13 L CH₄ per kg bagasse, respectively) superior to those obtained with hydrolyzates of non-pretreated bagasse processed with a single enzyme. Overall, using AHP pretreatment and subsequent hydrolysis with enzymatic mixtures improves the saccharification of A. tequilana bagasse enhancing the production of hydrogen and methane.     

Assessment of sugarcane bagasse gasification in supercritical water for hydrogen production

Sugarcane bagasse is one of the major resources of agricultural biomass waste in the world. In this work, supercritical water gasification characteristics of sugarcane bagasse were investigated. The effect of temperature (600–750 °C), concentration (3–12 wt%), residence time (5–20 min) and catalysts (Raney-Ni, K₂CO₃ and Na₂CO₃) on bagasse gasification were studied. A kinetic study on the non-catalytic and Na₂CO₃ catalytic bagasse gasification was conducted to describe the kinetic information of the bagasse gasification reaction. The results showed that a higher reaction temperature, a lower bagasse concentration and a longer residence time could favor the gasification of bagasse, leading to a higher hydrogen yield. Bagasse was nearly completely gasified at 750 °C without using any catalyst and the carbon gasification efficiency could reach up to 96.28%. The addition of employed catalysts remarkably promoted the bagasse gasification reactivity. The maximum hydrogen yield (35.3 mol/kg) was achieved at 650 °C with the Na₂CO₃ loading of 20 wt%. The experimental data fitted well with a homogeneous model based on a Pseudo-first-order reaction hypothesis. The kinetic study showed that Na₂CO₃ catalyst could lower the activation energy E_a of bagasse gasification from 117.88 kJ/mol to 78.25 kJ/mol.     

甘蔗渣的不同预处理方法比较及其酶水解的类分形动力学

分别采用NaOH（0.45 mol/L aq.）、HCl（0.034 mol/L aq.）和高温液态水（LHW）三种方法对甘蔗渣进行预处理,并对其组分变化和酶解效果进行了比较。NaOH预处理方法获得最高的木质素去除率,达91.1%,糖损失率达23.5%;HCl和LHW预处理结果类似,木聚糖溶解率分别为85.2%和79.7%,糖损失率均约为15%,木质素去除率均小于16%。三种方法处理的甘蔗渣经纤维素酶水解后得到总单糖（葡萄糖 + 木糖）浓度分别为38.7 g/L（NaOH）、16.1 g/L（HCl）和15.6 g/L（LHW）。综合比较预处理和酶水解工艺,NaOH水溶液预处理法的糖回收率最高,其次为HCl水溶液预处理法,LHW预处理法的糖回收率最低。作为描述纤维素酶反应动力学的有力工具,类分形理论的研究表明,各种预处理后底物的不规则性依次为：HCl＞LHW＞NaOH,其与酶的有效吸附大小依次为：NaOH＞HCl＞LHW。     

Physical–chemical characteristics of lignins separated from biomasses for second-generation ethanol

Lignin was extracted by two extraction methods from two biomasses for energy (Mischantus and Giant Reed) and a lignocellulosic material resulting from a microbial treatment of giant reed. One method of extraction involved the use of H₂SO₄ (SA), providing a highly aromatic water-insoluble material, while a second method employed H₂O₂ at alkaline pH (Ox), resulting in a water-soluble lignin. Extraction yields were related to the total Klason lignin measured for the three materials. We compared the physical–chemical features of the isolated lignins, by employing solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹³C-CPMAS spectra and derived T1ρH relaxation times), thermogravimetric analyses, infrared spectrometry and high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). We found that lignin separated by the Ox method owned a more mobile molecular conformation, and was largely more water-soluble and fragmented than the lignin obtained by the SA treatment. In line with T1ρH-NMR and thermogravimetric results, the HPSEC of Ox lignins showed nominal molecular weights less than 3 kDa, indicating well depolymerized materials. Such low-molecular weight and fragmented lignin obtained from biomasses for energy may become useful for application of recycled products in agriculture and in green chemistry reactions, thereby promoting an increase in the economic sustainability of biorefineries.     

Mathematical modeling of thin-layer drying of fermented and non-fermented sugarcane bagasse

This work reports hot-air convective drying of thin-layer fermented and non-fermented sugarcane bagasse. For this purpose, experiments were carried out in a laboratory-scale dryer assessing the effects of solid-state fermentation (SSF) on the drying kinetics of the processing material. The fermented sugarcane bagasse in SSF was obtained with the use of Kluyveromyces marxianus NRRL Y-7571. Drying experiments were carried out at 30, 35, 40 and 45 °C, at volumetric air flow rates of 2 and 3 m³ h^?1. The ability of ten different thin-layer mathematical models was evaluated towards representing the experimental drying profiles obtained. Results showed that the fermented sugarcane bagasse presents a distinct, faster drying, behavior from that verified for the non-fermented material at the same conditions of temperature and volumetric air flow rate. It is shown that the fermented sugarcane bagasse presented effective diffusion coefficient values of about 1.3 times higher than the non-fermented material. A satisfactory agreement between experimental data and model results of the thin-layer drying of fermented and non-fermented sugarcane bagasse was achieved at the evaluated experimental conditions.     

Dilute mixed-acid pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse for ethanol production

Integral utilisation of bagasse is a high priority for the diversification of the sugarcane industry. The application of a biorefinery philosophy to bagasse utilisation requires its fractionation into its main components: cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. The first stage in that process is the pretreatment, in which a considerable part of hemicelluloses is solubilised, and cellulose is activated towards enzymatic hydrolysis. In this work, a pretreatment method using a mixture of sulfuric and acetic acid is investigated. Two different solid-to-liquid ratios (1.5:10 and 1:10) were used in the pretreatment. Both conditions efficiently hydrolysed the hemicelluloses giving removals above 90%. The extractive components were also effectively solubilised, and lignin was only slightly affected. Cellulose degradation was below 15%, which corresponded to the low crystallinity fraction. The analysis of the morphology of pretreated bagasse confirmed the results obtained in the chemical characterization.     

Pyrolysis-catalytic steam reforming of agricultural biomass wastes and biomass components for production of hydrogen/syngas

The pyrolysis-catalytic steam reforming of six agricultural biomass waste samples as well as the three main components of biomass was investigated in a two stage fixed bed reactor. Pyrolysis of the biomass took place in the first stage followed by catalytic steam reforming of the evolved pyrolysis gases in the second stage catalytic reactor. The waste biomass samples were, rice husk, coconut shell, sugarcane bagasse, palm kernel shell, cotton stalk and wheat straw and the biomass components were, cellulose, hemicellulose (xylan) and lignin. The catalyst used for steam reforming was a 10 wt.% nickel-based alumina catalyst (NiAl₂O₃). In addition, the thermal decomposition characteristics of the biomass wastes and biomass components were also determined using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The TGA results showed distinct peaks for the individual biomass components, which were also evident in the biomass waste samples reflecting the existence of the main biomass components in the biomass wastes. The results for the two-stage pyrolysis-catalytic steam reforming showed that introduction of steam and catalyst into the pyrolysis-catalytic steam reforming process significantly increased gas yield and syngas production notably hydrogen. For instance, hydrogen composition increased from 6.62 to 25.35 mmol g^?1 by introducing steam and catalyst into the pyrolysis-catalytic steam reforming of palm kernel shell. Lignin produced the most hydrogen compared to cellulose and hemicellulose at 25.25 mmol g^?1. The highest residual char production was observed with lignin which produced about 45 wt.% char, more than twice that of cellulose and hemicellulose.     

Pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse pretreated with sulfuric acid

Pyrolysis is a promising technique for the recovery of useful gas, tar, and solid products from biomass waste. However, the low tar yields obtained from lignocellulosic biomass are a significant drawback. To enhance tar yields, sugarcane bagasse, which is the most abundant agricultural waste in Fiji, was pretreated at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure using various sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) concentrations. Here, the ether bonds of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin were partially hydrolyzed. The pretreated samples were then pyrolyzed at 500 °C, and it was confirmed that H₂SO₄-pretreatment disrupted the bagasse cell structure, with the thermogravimetry and differential thermogravimetry results confirming that decomposition occurred at lower temperatures after pretreatment. In addition, tar yields were significantly enhanced from 5.6 wt% to 13.4 wt% for the untreated and 3 M H₂SO₄-pretreated samples respectively. The main components detected in this tar product were levoglucosan, andcellulose-and hemicellulose-derived products, whose proportions were increased following pretreatment. Thus, our work demonstrates that dilute acid pretreatment enhances tar production from sugarcane bagasse due to the production of shorter chain components via the partial hydrolysis of ether bonds.     

Waste biomass to liquids: Low temperature conversion of sugarcane bagasse to bio-oil. The effect of combined hydrolysis treatments

This article describes the influence of different sugarcane bagasse hydrolysis pretreatments on modifications to biomass feedstock and the characteristics of the resultant pyrolysis products. Sugarcane bagasse was pretreated with acid, alkaline or sequential acid/alkaline solutions and pretreated samples were then subjected to a low temperature conversion (LTC) process under He or O₂/He atmospheres at 350-450 °C. Both pretreated samples and sugarcane bagasse in natura were analyzed by determination of their chemical composition and by thermogravimetric, FTIR and SEM analyses. The gases yielded during LTC were monitored on-line by quadrupole mass spectrometry, and the liquid fractions obtained were characterized by FTIR and ¹H and ¹³C NMR. Irrespective of the sugarcane bagasse pretreatment applied, the main bio-oil component obtained was levoglucosan. However, the LTC yield of bio-oil depended on the hydrolysis treatment of the biomass and decreased in the presence of O₂. The acid hydrolysis pretreatment increased the LTC bio-oil yield notably.     

Relative reactivity of alkaline extracts of Taiwanese biomass residues toward formaldehyde

Six Taiwanese biomass materials, namely: rice (Oryza sativa L.) hull; rice bran; sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) bagasse; Taiwan acacia (Acacia confusa Merr.) bark; Taiwan acacia foliage; and Taiwan acacia leaf, were extracted with a 22% solution of sodium hydroxide at 95°C for 16 h and at an elevated temperature of 135°C for 4 h. These extracts were reacted with 44% formalin for 2 h at 60 and 80°C, respectively, to investigate their reactivity toward formaldehyde. The free formaldehyde in the reaction mixtures was quantitatively determined by hydroxylamine hydrochloride titration to an end point of pH 4. Extraction temperature, reaction temperature, and type of biomass material were found to significantly influence the reactivity of the extracts with formaldehyde. The 135°C extracts of sugarcane bagasse absorbed the highest amount of formaldehyde while the 95°C extracts of Taiwan acacia foliage absorbed the least amount of formaldehyde.     

Optimization of dilute acid and hot water pretreatment of different lignocellulosic biomass: A comparative study

Pretreatment of biomass to alter their recalcitrant structures is an essential step to obtain high yield of products via bioconversion processes. In this study, main emphasis was to compare the results evaluated in terms of total reducing sugars (TRS) yield after acid and hot water pre-treatment process performed with laboratory scale equipment using different lignocellulosic biomass. The biomass chosen for this purpose i.e. sugarcane bagasse and bamboo were collected from Guwahati, Assam and their physico-chemical characteristics were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) including proximate and ultimate analysis. Crystalinity of the biomass used was observed to be 33.15% and 31.29% for sugarcane bagasse and bamboo respectively. Hot water and dilute acid pretreatment allows selective solubility of hemicellulose which improves the accessibility of enzymes for cellulose hydrolysis. The highest yield of TRS was observed at run order 8 for both acid and hot water pretreatment (23.49 and 26.50 gL⁻¹) with respect to sugarcane bagasse. But, the pretreatment results obtained for bamboo was slightly different to that of sugarcane bagasse. The highest yield of TRS was obtained at run order 8 for acid (15.6 gL⁻¹) and run order 10 for hot water (17.98 gL⁻¹) pretreatment respectively. Irrespective of biomass type, hot water pretreatment process produced more TRS than acid pretreatment process.