Lignocellulosic biomass holds unlocked potential as biofuel feedstock. By enzymatic digestion or by pyrolysis, the biopolymers that compose plant cell walls are converted into liquid biofuels at the industrial scale. One strategy to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of these conversion processes is the use of genetically modified plants that produce biomass that is more amenable cataly...

Pretreatment has been recognized as a key step in enzyme-based conversion processes of lignocellulose biomass to ethanol. The aim of this study is to evaluate two hydrothermal pretreatments (steam explosion and liquid hot water) to enhance ethanol production from poplar (Populus nigra) biomass by a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process. The composition of liquid and solid...

The effects of sodium carbonate (Na(2)CO(3)) pretreatment on the chemical compositions and enzymatic saccharification of rice straw were investigated. The enzymatic digestibility of rice straw is enhanced after pretreatment since pretreated solids show significant delignification with high sugar availability. During pretreatment, an increasing temperature and Na(2)CO(3) charge leads to enhanced...

The effects of pH and sulfonated lignin (SL) on the saccharification of enzymatic hydrolysis were investigated using acid bisulfite (AS)and green liquor (GL)-pretreated poplar as substrates. The enzymatic sugar conversions of ASand GL-pretreated poplar could reach high levels at pH 4.8. The sugar conversions of both ASand GL-pretreated poplar solids increased when hydrophilic SL was used as an ...

The present study aims to valorize chestnut burrs, an important lignocellulosic waste, through a biorefinery concept. A solid residue rich in glucan (41.36 ± 0.59 %) and lignin (39.06 0.01 obtained from previous process of pre-hydrolysis was subjected four treatments with water or NaOH enhance enzymatic hydrolysis. Saccharification performed using different ratios commercial cellulases β-glucos...

Lucerne (Medicago sativa) has many qualities associated with sustainable agriculture such as nitrogen fixation and high biomass yield. Therefore, there is interest in whether lucerne is a suitable biomass substrate for bioethanol production, and if hydrothermal pretreatment (HTT) of lucerne improves enzymatic convertibility, providing sufficient enzymatic conversion of carbohydrate to simple su...

Rapeseed straw is an attractive fuel material for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) due to its high content of carbohydrates (more than 60% carbohydrates). This study has demonstrated that reducing sugars can be efficiently extracted from raw rapeseed straw by combination of hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis followed by utilization as a fuel in two-chamber MFCs for electrical power g...

Pretreatment with white-rot fungi can effectively remove lignin and decompose the structure of biomass to enhance subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. This study developed a novel fungal pretreatment of biomass, which was operated under non-sterile conditions. The white-rot fungus Irpex lacteus colonized stably on the non-sterile substrates and effectively degraded lignin. After non-sterile fungal ...

BACKGROUND Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) is an extracellular hemoflavoenzyme produced by lignocellulose-degrading fungi including Pycnoporus cinnabarinus. We investigated the cellulolytic system of P. cinnabarinus, focusing on the involvement of CDH in the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass. RESULTS First, P. cinnabarinus growth conditions were optimized for CDH production. Following ...