An Approach of Utilizing Water-Soluble Carbohydrates in Lignocellulose Feedstock for Promotion of Cellulosic L-Lactic Acid Production

Agricultural lignocellulose biomass generally contains certain amounts of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) such as glucose, fructose, or sucrose. These sugars are generally degraded in pretreatment at high temperature or discharged with wastewater in a detoxification process. This study proposed an approach of utilizing frequently ignored water-soluble carbohydrates for promotion of cellulosic L-lactic acid production. A simple solid state fermentation was performed during a corn stover storage period to convert the sugars into L-lactic acid and then a dry biorefining technology was applied to convert cellulose and hemicellulose fractions into the same L-lactic acid product. The 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) formation in pretreatment was significantly reduced and the consequent biodetoxification time was shortened. L-Lactic acid production was increased from 130.2 g/L to 139.0 g/L, and the minimum L-lactic acid selling price was reduced by 5.9%. This study provided an important option of biorefinery processing technology for production of value added biochemicals.