Abstract
Abstract The use of cellulose for reducing sugars and lignin for biosurfactants may provide a promising strategy for establishing a sugarcane straw (SS) biorefinery. Selecting a suitable pretreatment method is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of the biomass conversion process. This study aimed to establish an efficient biorefinery pathway for sugar production as well as mass balance studies of component fractions for each step of pretreatment. Currently, a two-step pretreatment method was developed consisting of microwave (MW)-assisted maleic acid pretreatment, as the 1st step, followed by the 2nd step by either MW-assisted or autoclave-assisted alkali pretreatment. The comprehensive mass balance of the SS during both one-step (1-S) and two-step (2-S) pretreatments, as well as the enzymatic hydrolysis process, was assessed. During the 1-S pretreatment, 71% of the hemicellulose in the liquid fraction was solubilized as xylose, whereas during the 2-S pretreatment, the majority of the lignin in the liquid fraction was dissolved. A significant disruption in the fiber structure was observed during autoclave-alkali pretreatment. This treatment increased the surface area and pore volume of the fibers, facilitating enzymatic accessibility. 1-S pretreatment resulted in the highest xylose and glucose concentrations of 21.52 g and 18.66 g, respectively. Moreover, 6.9 g and 7.8 g of isolated lignin were obtained from the MW-alkali and autoclaved alkali solutions, respectively. These findings highlight the importance of pretreatment in optimizing value-added product yields from SS, contributing to the development of an efficient and sustainable biorefinery.
NETL
NSTL
Springer Nature