Effect of Sulphate Acid Calalyzed Ethanol Cooking on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wheat Straw

Wheat straw is an abundant agricultural residue with low commercial value, and an alternative feedstock for the production of fuel ethanol. In the present study, ethanol cooking at temperatures of 170 and 190°C, with holding times of 30, 45, 60 min using sulphate acid as a catalyst was evaluated as pretreatment method for wheat straw by measuring glucose content and enzymatic hydrolysis yield. The results indicated that solubility of hemicellulose and enzymatic hydrolysis yield of cellulose increases as the pretreatment severity increases. The susceptibility of the pretreated wheat straw was greatly affected by the temperature and time of pretreatment. The highest glucose content (68.6%) and enzymatic hydrolysis yield (68.0%) was obtained under the condition of 190°C temperature and 60 minute residence time.