Optimization of CO2 laser-based pretreatment of corn stover using response surface methodology

CO2 laser pretreatment to improve the enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover for production of monosaccharide, was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM), at a three-variable, three-level experiment Box-Behnken design (BBD) established the following optimum pretreatment parameters: time, 67.53 min; power, 264.33 W; and liquid-to-solid ratio, 21.29:1 (mL/g). Under these conditions, the reducing sugars produced was 4.941 mg/mL for cellulase hydrolysis. This amount matched the predicted value and increased cellulase hydrolysis from 14.47% to 30.84%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that CO2 laser pretreatment converted the smooth into a rough and porous surface, which promoted the enzyme access and resulted in a high specific reducing sugars production rate.