Improved Sugar Production by Optimizing Planetary Mill Pretreatment and Enzyme Hydrolysis Process

Area of Science:

• Biomass Pretreatment
• Biorefinery Processes
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Woody biomass, such as pitch pine (Pinus rigida) sawdust, is an abundant lignocellulosic resource.
• Efficient conversion of biomass into valuable products like biosugar is essential for sustainable biorefineries.
• Optimizing pretreatment and saccharification is key to maximizing glucose yields from lignocellulosic feedstocks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize planetary mill pretreatment and saccharification processes for enhanced biosugar production from pitch pine wood waste.
• To identify optimal process parameters including buffering media, milling time, enzyme quantity, and incubation time.
• To investigate the interactions between these parameters using Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Main Methods:

• Planetary mill pretreatment of pitch pine wood sawdust.
• Enzymatic hydrolysis using optimized parameters.
• Screening of buffering media (acetate vs. citrate).
• Optimization of milling time, enzyme loading, and hydrolysis duration.
• Application of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to analyze parameter interactions.

Main Results:

• Acetate buffer significantly improved glucose yields compared to citrate buffer.
• Optimal initial conditions identified: 100 minutes milling, 16 FPU/g-biomass enzyme loading, and 12-hour hydrolysis.
• Glucose yields exceeding 80% were achieved from Pinus rigida waste under optimized conditions.
• RSM analysis confirmed the significant impact of parameter interactions on glucose production.

Conclusions:

• Planetary milling and optimized saccharification are effective for high-yield glucose bioconversion from woody biomass.
• The developed process offers a viable route for utilizing pitch pine waste in biorefineries.
• Further optimization using RSM can enhance the efficiency of biosugar production from lignocellulosic materials.