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Fractionating recalcitrant lignocellulose at modest reaction conditions

  1. Yi-Heng Percival Zhang1,*,
  2. Shi-You Ding2,
  3. Jonathan R. Mielenz3,
  4. Jing-Biao Cui4,
  5. Richard T. Elander5,
  6. Mark Laser5,
  7. Michael E. Himmel2,
  8. James R. McMillan2,
  9. Lee R. Lynd5

Article first published online: 22 FEB 2007

DOI: 10.1002/bit.21386

Issue

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Volume 97, Issue 2, pages 214–223, 1 June 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

Zhang, Y.-H. P., Ding, S.-Y., Mielenz, J. R., Cui, J.-B., Elander, R. T., Laser, M., Himmel, M. E., McMillan, J. R. and Lynd, L. R. (2007), Fractionating recalcitrant lignocellulose at modest reaction conditions. Biotechnol. Bioeng., 97: 214–223. doi: 10.1002/bit.21386

Author Information

  1. 1

    Biological Systems Engineering Department, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061; telephone: (540) 231-7414; fax: (540) 231-3199

  2. 2

    National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401

  3. 3

    Life Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831

  4. 4

    Center for Nanomaterials Research, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755

  5. 5

    Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755

*Biological Systems Engineering Department, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061; telephone: (540) 231-7414; fax: (540) 231-3199

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 APR 2007
  2. Article first published online: 22 FEB 2007
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 5 FEB 2007
  4. Manuscript Received: 23 DEC 2006

Funded by

  • ACS Petroleum Research Fund
  • Oak Ridge Associated Universities
  • DOE Office of the Biomass Program
  • UT-Battelle
  • DOE
  • NIST

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Keywords:

  • biorefinery;
  • cellulose hydrolysis;
  • cellulosic ethanol;
  • lignocellulose fractionation

Abstract

Effectively releasing the locked polysaccharides from recalcitrant lignocellulose to fermentable sugars is among the greatest technical and economic barriers to the realization of lignocellulose biorefineries because leading lignocellulose pre-treatment technologies suffer from low sugar yields, and/or severe reaction conditions, and/or high cellulase use, narrow substrate applicability, and high capital investment, etc. A new lignocellulose pre-treatment featuring modest reaction conditions (50°C and atmospheric pressure) was demonstrated to fractionate lignocellulose to amorphous cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and acetic acid by using a non-volatile cellulose solvent (concentrated phosphoric acid), a highly volatile organic solvent (acetone), and water. The highest sugar yields after enzymatic hydrolysis were attributed to no sugar degradation during the fractionation and the highest enzymatic cellulose digestibility (∼97% in 24 h) during the hydrolysis step at the enzyme loading of 15 filter paper units of cellulase and 60 IU of beta-glucosidase per gram of glucan. Isolation of high-value lignocellulose components (lignin, acetic acid, and hemicellulose) would greatly increase potential revenues of a lignocellulose biorefinery. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;97: 214–223. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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