Integrating surfactants with low enzyme loading to increase the glucan conversion and ethanol concentration of reed after combined pretreatment

In this study, in order to obtain high concentration bioethanol, reed pretreated with liquid hot water and ammonia oxygen (LHW-NH3 center dot H2O/O-2) was used as the substrate for fermentation. Enzymatic hydrolysis becomes difficult by the ineffective lignin adsorption and the decline in cellulase activity. It is worth noting that even under low enzyme loading (9 FPU/g pretreated solid), this study was able to maintain a higher glucan conversion rate (97.60%). In addition, under high solid loading conditions, the combined effect of PEG 6000 and rhamnolipids increased ethanol yield (78.40%) and ethanol concentration (71.5 g/L). The combined LHW-NH3 center dot H2O/O-2 pretreatment with fed-batch semi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation technique may be utilized to industrialize the production of bioethanol from reed since we concentrated on the maximum exploitation of biomass resources and reduction in energy consumption.

Automated summary

In this study, reed pretreated with LHW-NH3·H2O/O-2 was used as a substrate for fermentation to obtain high concentration bioethanol. The combination of low enzyme loading and effective lignin adsorption resulted in a higher glucan conversion rate. The use of PEG 6000 and rhamnolipids under high solid loading conditions increased ethanol yield and concentration. The results suggest that this pretreatment technique combined with fed-batch semi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation can be utilized for industrial bioethanol production.