Dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment of corn stover for enzymatic hydrolysis and efficient ethanol production by recombinant Escherichia coli FBR5 without detoxification

A pretreatment strategy for dilute H2SO4 pretreatment of corn stover was developed for the purpose of reducing the generation of inhibitory substances during pretreatment so that a detoxification step is not required prior to fermentation while maximizing sugar yield. The optimal conditions for pretreatment of corn stover (10%, w/v) were: 0.75% H2SO4, 160 °C, and 0–5 min holding time. The conditions were chosen based on maximum glucose release after enzymatic hydrolysis, minimum loss of pentose sugars and minimum formation of sugar degradation products such as furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural. The pretreated corn stover after enzymatic saccharification generated 63.2 ± 2.2 and 63.7 ± 2.3 g total sugars per L at 0 and 5 min holding time, respectively. Furfural production was 0.45 ± 0.1 and 0.87 ± 0.4 g/L, respectively. The recombinant Escherichia coli strain FBR5 efficiently fermented non-detoxified corn stover hydrolyzate if the furfural content is <0.5 g/L.