Optimization of alkali pretreatment of wheat straw to be used as substrate for biofuels production

Alkali pretreatment of wheat straw was optimized by response surface methodology to maximize yields of fermentable sugars in subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis and to remove maximum lignin in order to improve rheological attributes of the media. The effects of pretreatment conditions on biomass properties were studied using the Expert Designer software. Concentration of sodium hydroxide and temperature were the factors most affecting pretreatment efficiency. At the optimum (80 degrees C, 39 min, 0.18 g NaOH and 0.06 g lime per g of raw biomass), 93.1 +/- 1.0% conversion of cellulose to glucose after enzymatic hydrolysis and 80.3 +/- 1.2% yield of monosaccharides (glucose plus xylose and arabinose) from cellulose and hemicellulose of wheat straw were achieved.