Evaluating pretreatment techniques for converting hazelnut husks to bioethanol

This study examined the suitability of husk waste for bioethanol production and compared pretreatment techniques with regard to their efficiencies. Results showed that 4% NaBH4 (90 mm) delignified the highest amount of lignin (49.1%) from the structure. The highest xylan solubility (77.9%) was observed when samples were treated with 4% NaOH for 90 min. Pretreatment with NaOH and NaBH4, compared to H2O2 and H2SO4, resulted in selective delignification. The highest glucan to glucose conversion (74.4%) and the highest ethanol yield (52.6 g/kg husks) were observed for samples treated with 2% NaOH for 90 min. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.