Delignification of the cotton stalk and ginning mill waste via EnZolv pretreatment and optimization of process parameters using response surface methodology (RSM)

The present study aimed to add value to cotton waste biomass using a more eco-friendly process, EnZolv which delignifies cotton stalk and cotton ginning mill waste. A maximum delignification of 68.68% and 65.51% was obtained using pre-optimized EnZolv parameters in cotton stalk (CS) and ginning mill waste (GMW), respectively. Optimized EnZolv process removed 78.68% of lignin in CS using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in Box-Behnken design at 0% moisture content, 50 U laccase g- 1 of biomass, 5 h incubation time, 50 & DEG;C incubation temperature, and 150 rpm shaking speed. Similarly, RSM-based delignification of 70.53% in GMW was achieved under the optimized EnZolv conditions of 98.75 % moisture content, 41.59 U laccase g- 1 of biomass, 9.3 h incubation time, 46.15 & DEG;C incubation temperature, and 150 rpm shaking speed.

Automated summary

The present study aimed to add value to cotton waste biomass using a more eco-friendly process called EnZolv, which effectively removes lignin from cotton stalk and cotton ginning mill waste. The optimized EnZolv process achieved a delignification rate of 78.68% in cotton stalk and 70.53% in ginning mill waste using specific parameters determined through Response Surface Methodology. These findings have significant implications for the utilization and sustainable management of cotton waste biomass.