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Title: Double in-situ lignin modification in surfactant-assisted glycerol organosolv pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse towards efficient enzymatic hydrolysis

Journal Article · · Chemical Engineering Journal
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [3]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [4];  [5]; ORCiD logo [6]
  1. Jiangnan University (China)
  2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  3. University of Tehran (Iran)
  4. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Joint Institute for Biological Sciences (JIBS)
  5. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) (Malaysia); Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (India)
  6. Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, Tehran (Iran)

Organosolv pretreatment effectively fractionates lignocellulosic biomass for efficient enzymatic hydrolysis, yielding fermentable sugars. However, substantial lignin redeposition on the substrate surface and residual lignin content exacerbate lignin’s inhibitory effects on subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Here, an in-situ lignin modification is proposed to address this challenge by incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) series into glycerol organosolv (GO) pretreatment. According to the results obtained, PEG-assisted GO pretreated substrate exhibited significantly increased sugar yield during enzymatic hydrolysis, particularly with PEG 4000, showing 35.4% higher glucose yield over 72 h. The improved glucose yield with PEG could be attributed to changes in the physicochemical structure and properties of residual lignin, mitigating its non-productive interaction with cellulase enzymes. PEG's presence in GO pretreatment also increased β-O-4 linkages preservation by 55% and reduced phenolic hydroxyl groups by 28% in lignin fragments versus no surfactants. This outcome resulted from introducing glycerol and PEG hydroxyl tails into the lignin structure, forming α-etherified lignin and rendering it more hydrophilic. Simulations confirmed strong Van Der Waals and hydrogen bonding interactions between lignin units and PEG, hindering lignin fragments repolymerization. Incorporating PEG in the organosolv pretreatment proves highly beneficial for cellulase-mediated lignocellulosic biorefinery, resembling a lignin-first strategy. The optimized process enables efficient biomass utilization for sustainable fuels and chemicals production.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
2376324
Journal Information:
Chemical Engineering Journal, Journal Name: Chemical Engineering Journal Vol. 481; ISSN 1385-8947
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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