Use of hydrogen peroxide to prime the autohydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of wheat straw pulp residues

Exogenous ash penalties cause straw pulp residues to exhibit low autohydrolysis performance due to an organic-inorganic colloid medium. In this study, H2O2 was applied following the soil organism to oxidize the organic components playing a role in the buffer system by increasing the negative charge on the surface of the particulate ash, thus reducing the acid buffer and cation exchange capacity of the pretreated wheat straw pulp residue (WSPR). The results showed that with the enzymatic efficiency increasing concentrations (0-3%) of H2O2, the enzymatic efficiencies of pretreated WSPR improved significantly with increasing H2O2 concentration (0-3%) from 49.73 to 88.27%. A linear correlation was observed between these increases and the accessibility of the substrate to the enzymes, the substrate's surface charge, and the lignin's available surface area. The addition of 2% H2O2 in WSPR autohydrolysis was able to increase the production of glucose and xylooligosaccharides by 1.58 and 2.38 times, respectively. This work demonstrated an innovative option for producing fermentable sugars from WSPR by effectively abolishing the self-buffering effects during autohydrolysis.

Automated summary

Exogenous ash penalties hinder the autohydrolysis performance of straw pulp residues. By using H2O2 to oxidize the organic components, the negative charge on the ash surface was increased, reducing the acid buffer and cation exchange capacity of the pretreated wheat straw pulp residue. The enzymatic efficiency of the pretreated residue significantly improved with increasing concentrations of H2O2, leading to increased production of glucose and xylooligosaccharides.