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Title: ALKALINE PEROXIDE PRETREATMENT, ENZYMATIC SACCHARIFICATION AND FERMENTATION OF WHEAT STRAW TO ETHANOL

Author
item Saha, Badal
item Cotta, Michael

Submitted to: United States Japan Natural Resources Protein Panel
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/22/2005
Publication Date: 10/22/2005
Citation: Saha, B.C., Cotta, M.A. 2005. Alkaline peroxide pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification and fermentation of wheat straw to ethanol. In: Proceedings of the 34th Meeting of the United States-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources (UJNR) Food and Agriculture Panel, October 23-29, 2005, Susoni, Shizuoka, Japan. p. 168-172.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Wheat straw used in this study contained 44.24 ± 0.28% cellulose and 25.23 ± 0.11% hemicellulose. Alkaline H2O2 pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification were evaluated for conversion of wheat straw cellulose and hemicellulose to fermentable sugars. The maximum yield of monomeric sugars from wheat straw (8.6%, w/v) by alkaline peroxide pretreatment (2.15% H2O2, v/v; pH 11.5; 35 deg C; 24 h) and enzymatic saccharification (45 deg C; pH 5.0; 120 h) using cellulase, beta-glucosidase, and xylanase was 672 ± 4 mg/g (96.7% yield). The yield of ethanol (per L) from alkaline peroxide pretreated enzyme saccharified wheat straw (66.0 g) hydrolyzate by recombinant Escherichia coli strain FBR5 at pH 6.5 and 37 deg C in 48 h was 18.9 ± 0.9 g with a yield of 0.46 g per g available sugars (0.29 g/g straw). The ethanol yield was 15.1 ± 0.1 g with a yield of 0.23 g/g straw in the case of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation by the E. coli strain at pH 6.0 and 37 deg C in 48 h.