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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Chem. Eng.
Sec. Environmental Chemical Engineering
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fceng.2024.1449114

Effects of NaOH and Na 2 CO 3 Pretreatment on the Saccharification of Sweet Sorghum Bagasse

Provisionally accepted
Valerie Garcia Negron Valerie Garcia Negron *Ryan Stoklosa Ryan Stoklosa Matthew J. Toht Matthew J. Toht
  • Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (USDA), Wyndmoor, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In this work, the chemical composition, chemical structures, and sugar release were evaluated for sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB) biomass in response to alkaline pretreatments and enzymatic hydrolysis. Five different ratios of 2 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) solutions were used for biomass fractionation along with two heat treatment conditions, 85 °C and 150 °C for 1 hour. Sugar yields from enzymatic hydrolysis were measured at different durations up to 72 hours. SSB samples pretreated at high temperature using alkaline solutions containing equal amounts of Na 2 CO 3 and NaOH favored retaining cellulose content (up to 90%) while effectively removing hemicellulose (65%) and lignin (92%). The high-temperature pretreatment conditions resulted in improved delignification, higher sugar concentrations, and sugar yields.Pretreatment solutions consisting of 50% or more NaOH produced higher glucose yields (85-90%) and total sugar concentrations. Moreover, pretreatment solutions containing Na 2 CO 3 improved the hydrolysis rates allowing SSB samples reach maximum yields faster than those without it, 48 versus 72 hours. Results showed pretreatment methods combining NaOH and Na 2 CO 3 were effective at promoting SSB biomass conversion, increasing sugar recovery after hydrolysis, and reducing the hydrolysis duration, all of which are desirable and cost beneficial.

    Keywords: Sweet sorghum bagasse, Biomass pretreatment, NaOH, Na 2 CO 3, Enzymatic hydrolysis, Sugar yields

    Received: 14 Jun 2024; Accepted: 14 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Garcia Negron, Stoklosa and Toht. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Valerie Garcia Negron, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (USDA), Wyndmoor, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.