AUTHOR=Li Man , Liu Zhi-Hua , Hao Naijia , Olson Michelle L. , Li Qiang , Bhagia Samarthya , Shinde Somnath , Kao Katy C. , Ragauskas Arthur J. , Xie Shangxian , Yuan Joshua S. 

TITLE=Synergistic Improvement of Carbohydrate and Lignin Processability by Biomimicking Biomass Processing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2020.00194

DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2020.00194

ISSN=2296-598X

ABSTRACT=<p>The sustainability and economic feasibility of modern biorefinery depend on the efficient processing of both carbohydrate and lignin fractions for value-added products. By mimicking the biomass degradation process in white-rote fungi, a tailored two-step fractionation process was developed to maximize the sugar release from switchgrass biomass and to optimize the lignin processability for bioconversion. Biomimicking biomass processing using Formic Acid: Fenton: Organosolv (F<sub>2</sub>O) and achieved high processability for both carbohydrate and lignin. Specifically, switchgrass pretreated by the F<sub>2</sub>O process had 99.6% of the theoretical yield for glucose release. The fractionated lignin was also readily processable by fermentation via <italic>Rhodococcus opacus</italic> PD630 with a lipid yield of 1.16 g/L. Scanning electron microscope analysis confirmed the fragmentation of switchgrass fiber and the cell wall deconstruction by the F<sub>2</sub>O process. 2D-HSQC NMR further revealed the cleavage of aryl ether linkages (β-O-4) in lignin components. These results revealed the mechanisms for efficient sugar release and lignin bioconversion. The F<sub>2</sub>O process demonstrated effective mimicking of natural biomass utilization system and paved a new path for improving the lignin and carbohydrate processability in next generation lignocellulosic biorefinery.</p>