Process Modeling of Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wet-Exploded Corn Stover

• Published in: Bioenergy research Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 450 - 459
• Main Authors: Rana, Vandana, Rana, Diwakar, Ahring, Birgitte K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer-Verlag 01.03.2014; Springer US; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural biotechnology; Biomass; Biomass energy; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cellulose; Chromatography; Corn; corn stover; Economic conditions; Economics; enzymatic hydrolysis; Enzymes; Explosions; Glucose; Hydrolysis; Life Sciences; Optimization; oxygen; Particle size; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Ecology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Sciences; Proteins; Raw materials; response surface methodology; Stover; Studies; Sulfur; temperature; Wood Science & Technology; United States > US; Central composite design; Corn stover; Enzymatic hydrolysis; Cellulose conversion; Wet explosion pretreatment
• ISSN: 1939-1234; 1939-1242
• DOI: 10.1007/s12155-013-9384-6

The aim of this work was to investigate the optimal process conditions leading to high glucose yield (over 80 %) after wet explosion (WEx) pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. The study focused on determining the “sweet spot” where the glucose yield obtained is optimized compared to the cost of the enzymes. WEx pretreatment was conducted at different temperatures, times, and oxygen concentrations to determine the best WEx pretreatment conditions for the most efficient enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis was further optimized at the optimal conditions using central composite design of response surface methodology with respect to two variables: Cellic® CTec2 loading [5 to 40 mg enzyme protein (EP)/g glucan] and substrate concentration (SC) (5 to 20 %) at 50 °C for 72 h. The most efficient and economic conditions for corn stover conversion to glucose were obtained when wet-exploded at 170 °C for 20 min with 5.5 bar oxygen followed by enzymatic hydrolysis at 20 % SC and 15 mg EP/g glucan (5 filter paper units) resulting in a glucose yield of 84 %.