Integrated Bioprocess for Cellulosic Ethanol Production from Wheat Straw: New Ternary Deep-Eutectic-Solvent Pretreatment, Enzymatic Saccharification, and Fermentation
Xiaoling Xian,
Lv Fang,
Yongxing Zhou,
Biying Li,
Xiaojie Zheng,
Yao Liu,
Xiaoqing Lin
Affiliations
Xiaoling Xian
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuan Xi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China
Lv Fang
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuan Xi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China
Yongxing Zhou
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuan Xi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China
Biying Li
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuan Xi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xiaojie Zheng
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuan Xi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China
Yao Liu
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuan Xi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xiaoqing Lin
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuan Xi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China
Wheat straw (WS) is an excellent raw material for biofuel ethanol production. However, the recalcitrance of WS prevents its efficient utilization. In this study, a novel ternary deep eutectic solvent (DES) was developed for enhancing component separation and enzymatic saccharification of WS. Without any detoxification and sterilization, the DES-treated WS hydrolysate was successfully used to produce ethanol. Overall, this research evaluated the effect of ternary DES pretreatment on WS at various temperatures and adjusted the enzyme load, substrate concentration, and fermentation method of treated WS. The results suggested that the cellulose recovery of treated WS after DES pretreatment (120 °C, 1 h) was 94.73 ± 0.22%, while the removal of xylan and lignin reached 89.53 ± 0.36% and 80.05 ± 0.62%, respectively. Importantly, at enzyme loading of 11.4 filter paper unit (FPU)/g WS with 16% fermentation substrate concentration, 91.15 ± 1.07% of cellulose was hydrolyzed, and the glucose yield was 71.58 ± 1.34%. The maximum ethanol yield of DES-treated WS was 81.40 ± 0.01%.
