Phenomenological Modeling of Formic Acid Fractionation of Sugarcane Bagasse by Integration of Operation Parameters as an Extended Combined Severity Factor

In order to more conveniently simulate and optimize the solubilization of sugarcane bagasse components during formic acid (FA) fractionation, an extended combined severity factor (CSFext) was defined to integrate various operation parameters as a single factor. Two phenomenological models based on Arrhenius and Logistic equations were further used to describe the phenomenological kinetics. Different data-processing methods were compared to fit the severity parameters and model constants. Both Arrhenius-based and Logistic-based models show satisfying fitting results, though the values of Arrhenius-based CSFext (A-CSFext) and Logistic-based CSFext (L-CSFext) were somewhat different under the same fractionation condition. The solubilization of biomass components increased with CSFext, but two distinct stages could be observed with inflection points at A-CSFext of 42 or L-CSFext of 43, corresponding to bulk and residual solubilization stages, respectively. For the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic solids, the highest initial enzymatic glucan conversion (EGC@6h) was obtained at A-CSFext of 39–40 or A-CSFext of 40–41; however, for a long hydrolysis period (72 h), relatively high glucan conversion (EGC@72h) was observed at A-CSFext of 42–43 or A-CSFext of 43–44. Post-treatment for deformylation with a small amount of lime could help to recover the cellulose digestibility.

Impact of Alkaline Pretreatment Condition on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Sugarcane Bagasse and Pretreatment Cost

A combined severity factor (RCSF) which is usually used to evaluate the effectiveness of hydrothermal pretreatment at above 100 ºC had been developed to assess the influence of temperature, time and alkali loading on pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose. It is not suitable for evaluating alkaline pretreatment effectiveness at lower than 100 ºC. According to the reported deducing process, this study modified the expression of RCSF = log[CnOH- x t x e(Tr-Tb)/14.75] as RCSF = log{COH- x t x e[-13700/(Tr+273)+36.2]} which is easier and more reasonable to assess the effectiveness of alkaline pretreatment. It showed that RCSF exhibited linear trend with lignin removal, and quadratic curve relation with enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency (EHE) at the same temperature. The EHE of alkali-treated SCB could attain the maximum value at lower RCSF, which indicated that it was not necessary to continuously enhance strength of alkaline pretreatment for improving EHE. Within a certain temperature range, the alkali loading was more important than temperature and time to influence pretreatment effectiveness and EHE. Furthermore, the contribution of temperature, time and alkali loading to pretreatment cost which was seldom concerned was investigated in this work. The alkali loading contributed more than 70% to the pretreatment cost. This study laid the foundation of further optimizing alkaline pretreatment to reduce cost for its practical application.

Acid-Catalyzed Wet Torrefaction for Enhancing the Heating Value of Barley Straw

In the present study, the possibility of improving the higher heating value (HHV) of lignocellulosic biomass, especially barley straw, was examined. The research deals with the treatment of barley straw by acid-catalyzed wet torrefaction (ACWT), also called acid hydrolysis, in a batch reactor (autoclave) Parr 4553 3.75 L. In this case, two different simulation approaches were applied: (i) combined severity factor (CSF) and (ii) response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box–Behnken design of experiments (DoE). Sulfuric acid (SA) concentration, temperature and time were the ACWT parameters examined herein. An oxygen bomb calorimeter was used for the HHV measurement. The findings indicated that the composition changes of the straw due to ACWT had a significant effect on the HHV of the pretreated material. In this study, treatment conditions were 10–35 mM SA, 160–200 °C and an isothermal reaction time 0–40 min (preheating period not included in these values). In conclusion, there was a significant increase in the HHV up to 24.3 MJ/kg for the ACWT barley straw, compared to 17.5 MJ/kg for the untreated straw, at optimal conditions of 200 °C for 25 min (isothermal period) and 35 mM SA. This resulted in a 1.39 enhancement factor (EF) and 68% energy yield (EY).

Ethyl xylosides formation in SEW (AVAP®) fractionation of sugarcane straw; implications for ethanol and xylose recovery

High solvent recovery and monomeric sugar yield are essential for a viable biochemical conversion technology. The SO2-ethanol-water (SEW) or AVAP®process has great potential to produce easily fermentable pulp fibers and sugars dissolved in the spent liquor stream. The SEW fractionation process is evaluated for delignification, xylan removal and potential reactions between ethanol and sugarcane straw (SCS) carbohydrates. α-ethyl-xyloside (aEX) and β-ethyl-xyloside (bEX) formed by reaction of ethanol with xylose are quantified. The fractionation experiments are carried out at 135°C, 145°C, and 155°C for 20–120 min at fixed liquor composition (SO2/EtOH/H2O=12:44:44, w/w) and liquor to feedstock ratio (4 l kg−1). The results are interpreted in terms of combined severity factor (CSF). Maximum ethyl xylosides (EX, or sum of aEX and bEX) and monomeric xylose concentrations are observed at CSF of 2.4±0.1. The maximum amount of EX in spent liquor accounts for nearly 1.4% of EtOH (feedstock basis). The implications for downstream recovery of EtOH and sugars from the spent liquor are discussed.