Hydrothermal Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Prairie Cord Grass

The focus of this study was examination of the hydrothermal pretreatment method applied to the lignocellulosic substrate for bioethanol production, represented by prairie cord grass, and comparison between different conditions, based on the yield of glucose after enzymatic hydrolysis. The treatment did not involve any chemicals usage. Hydrothermal pretreatment was conducted in the Parr high-pressure reactor, in the presence of water. After the pretreatment, material was analyzed via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for products and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for biomass structure changes. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed to examine the amount of glucose that was released from pretreated materials. Results were compared based on the conversion rates of glucose and other sugars, as well as the generation of byproducts. Final results suggested that the most efficient pretreatment conditions involved high temperatures (210 °C) and relatively short reaction times (10 min), after which the lignocellulose structure seems to be the most available for enzymes actions. The pretreatment conversion rate in this case reached a level of 97%.