Impact of mild and harsh conditions of formic acid-based organosolv pretreatment on biomass fractionation of sugarcane tops

This study puts emphasis on the impact of formic acid-based organosolv (FAOS) pretreatment on sugarcane tops (SCT) for biomass fractionation (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) under mild and harsh pretreatment conditions. The cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents of SCT were 35.0 +/- 0.4%, 30.3 +/- 0.5%, and 17.0 +/- 0.7%, respectively. One hundred twenty-five degree Celsius pretreatment temperature, 90 min pretreatment time, and 1:7.5 solid to liquid ratio were selected as the best conditions for FAOS pretreatment of SCT. Under these conditions, equivalent to 392 +/- 4 kg pretreated SCT was obtained from 1 tonne of moisture-free basis SCT, which contained 296 +/- 3 kg cellulose, 11.1 +/- 0.5 kg hemicellulose, 15.7 +/- 0.3 kg lignin, 8.00 +/- 0.2 kg extractives, and 53.4 +/- 0.9 kg ash. Pretreatment temperature and time higher than the best-selected values (125 degrees C and 90 min) adversely affected SCT fractionation due to damage of fiber surface, high lignin content in pSCT, and lower solids recovery in the hydrolyzate.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the impact of formic acid-based organosolv (FAOS) pretreatment on sugarcane tops (SCT) for biomass fractionation. The best conditions for FAOS pretreatment of SCT were found to be 125 degrees Celsius pretreatment temperature, 90 min pretreatment time, and 1:7.5 solid to liquid ratio. Temperatures and times higher than these values adversely affected SCT fractionation.