IMPACT OF ALKALI PRETREATMENT AND TORREFACTION ON GLUCOSE PRODUCTION FROM WHEAT STRAW
Open Access
- Author:
- Memis, Berrak
- Graduate Program:
- Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- May 15, 2018
- Committee Members:
- Daniel Ciolkosz, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Tom L. Richard, Committee Member
Marvin Hall, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Torrefaction
Lignocellulosic biomass
Wheat straw
Enzymatic hydrolysis
Alkaline pretreatment - Abstract:
- Bioethanol has captured the attention of the world as a renewable fuel alternative to petroleum-based liquid fuels that can maintain environmental quality and energy security for countries. Lignocellulosic biomass has been researched for its potential as an ethanol feedstock due largely to the fact that it does not necessarily compete with food crops. In this study, wheat straw (an agricultural residue) was chosen as the potential feedstock. This study evaluated the possibility of using torrefaction, alkaline pretreatment, and their combination as a pretreatment process. The effect of torrefaction time, torrefaction temperature, and alkaline concentration was investigated in terms of glucose yields. Pretreatment with torrefaction alone resulted in 66-74% lower glucose yields when compared to. Pretreatment with NaOH resulted in 82-89% increase in glucose yield relative to un-pretreated wheat straw. Pretreatment with both NaOH and torrefaction resulted in 8- 68% increase in glucose yield. The highest glucose yield of 359.1 ±1.8 mg glucose g-1 raw wheat straw is achieved for samples that were not torrefied but were alkaline pretreated with 1% NaOH solution. Increasing the torrefaction temperature decreased the glucose yield. Alkaline pretreatment dramatically improved glucose yield for samples torrefied at 220°C. This study demonstrated the potential of torrefaction as a pretreatment when combined with an alkaline solution.