Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass with Low-cost Ionic Liquids

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass with Low-cost Ionic Liquids

Published on: August 10, 2016

Lime pretreatment of switchgrass.

V S Chang¹, B Burr, M T Holtzapple

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology

|April 1, 1997

Summary

Lime pretreatment significantly boosts enzymatic digestibility of switchgrass, increasing sugar yields five to 21 times. Optimal conditions involve specific lime and water loadings, temperature, and time, with minimal benefit from fine grinding.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Development of highly digestible animal feed from lignocellulosic biomass Part 1: Oxidative lime pretreatment (OLP) and ball milling of forage sorghum.

Translational animal science·2020

Same author

Development of highly digestible animal feed from lignocellulosic biomass Part 2: Oxidative lime pretreatment (OLP) and shock treatment of corn stover.

Translational animal science·2020

Same author

DNase I hypersensitivity and expression of the Shrunken-1 gene of maize.

Plant molecular biology·2013

Same author

cDNAs of two non-allelic sucrose synthase genes in maize: cloning, expression, characterization and molecular mapping of the sucrose synthase-2 gene.

Plant molecular biology·2013

Same author

The suitability of restriction fragment length polymorphisms as genetic markers in maize.

TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik·2013

Same author

Precision shock tuning on the national ignition facility.

Physical review letters·2012

Area of Science:

Biomass Conversion
Biochemical Engineering
Renewable Energy

Background:

Switchgrass is a promising lignocellulosic biofuel feedstock.
Efficient enzymatic hydrolysis is crucial for biofuel production.
Lignocellulose recalcitrance hinders biofuel yield.

Purpose of the Study:

To optimize lime (calcium hydroxide) pretreatment of switchgrass.
To enhance enzymatic digestibility and sugar yields.
To determine optimal pretreatment conditions and particle size effects.

Main Methods:

Investigated various pretreatment conditions: time, temperature, lime loading, and water loading.
Assessed the impact of particle size on digestibility.
Conducted material balance studies to track component solubilization.

Main Results:

Recommended pretreatment conditions: 2h, 100-120°C, 0.1 g Ca(OH)2/g biomass, 9 mL water/g biomass.
Particle size below 20 mesh showed minimal benefit; coarse particles (4-10 mesh) digested well.
Achieved 5x reducing sugar, 7x total sugar, 5x glucose, and 21x xylose yield after 3 days.

Conclusions:

Lime pretreatment effectively enhances switchgrass enzymatic digestibility.
Optimal conditions maximize sugar yields while minimizing glucan loss.
Pretreatment solubilizes significant portions of xylan and lignin.

More Related Videos

Methods for Facilitating Microbial Growth on Pulp Mill Waste Streams and Characterization of the Biodegradation Potential of Cultured Microbes

Methods for Facilitating Microbial Growth on Pulp Mill Waste Streams and Characterization of the Biodegradation Potential of Cultured Microbes

Published on: December 12, 2013

Ultrafast Lignin Extraction from Unusual Mediterranean Lignocellulosic Residues

Ultrafast Lignin Extraction from Unusual Mediterranean Lignocellulosic Residues

Published on: March 9, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass with Low-cost Ionic Liquids

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass with Low-cost Ionic Liquids

Published on: August 10, 2016

Methods for Facilitating Microbial Growth on Pulp Mill Waste Streams and Characterization of the Biodegradation Potential of Cultured Microbes

Methods for Facilitating Microbial Growth on Pulp Mill Waste Streams and Characterization of the Biodegradation Potential of Cultured Microbes

Published on: December 12, 2013

Ultrafast Lignin Extraction from Unusual Mediterranean Lignocellulosic Residues

Ultrafast Lignin Extraction from Unusual Mediterranean Lignocellulosic Residues

Published on: March 9, 2021