Citation

Saddler, J. N., Mes-Hartree, M., Yu, E. K. C., and H. H. Brownell, Enzymatic hydrolysis of various pretreated lignocellulosic substrates and the fermentation of the liberated sugars to ethanol and butanediol. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Symposium 13: 225-238, 1983.

Abstract

Aspen wood and wheat straw were pretreated by exposure to steam at elevated temperatures. Chemical analysis of the substrates revealed that steam explosion differentially decomposed the pentosan component while leaving the glucan portion relatively unchanged. The pretreated residues could be used as substrates for growth of Trichoderma reesei C30 and T. harsianum E58. The cellulase activities detected were in some cases three times as high as those found when Solka Floc was used as the substrate. Culture filtrates of T. harzianum E58 could efficiently hydrolyze the hemicellulose-rich water-soluble fractions. This material was fermented by Kiebsiella pneumoniae with 0.4-0.5 g of 2,3 butanediol produced per gram of sugar utilized. Once the steam-exploded residues had been water and alkali extracted, the enzymatically hydrolyzed substrates were readily fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiue or Zymonas mobilis with values as high as 2% (w/v) ethanol obtained from 5% stream-exploded wood fractions.

Country, State, District, etc.

Canada

Language

English

Material

wheat straw

Use category

energy production, ethanol production, chemical production