Enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw by aqueous glycerol pretreatment

Considering the practical technology–economy of glycerol processing from oleochemicals industry, the ensuing work was proposed to further explore the atmospheric aqueous glycerol autocatalytic organosolv pretreatment (AAGAOP) to improve the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. With the liquid–solid ratio of 20 g g−1 at 220 °C for 3 h, the AAGAOP enabled wheat straw to remove 70% hemicelluloses and 65% lignin, with 98% cellulose retention. The pretreated fiber was achieved with 90% of the enzymatic hydrolysis yield after 48 h. At oven-drying, dehydration was likely to cause the hornification of fiber, which was responsible for the low enzymatic hydrolysis of dried fiber. With SEM observations, the AAGAOP disrupted wheat straw into thin and fine fibrils, with a small average size and more surface area. The AAGAOP technique, as a novel strategy, enhanced the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass by removing the chemically compositional barrier and altering the physically structural impediment.