Factors affecting seawater-based pretreatment of lignocellulosic date palm residues

Seawater-based pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is an innovative process at research stage. With respect to process optimization, factors affecting seawater-based pretreatment of lignocellulosic date palm residues were studied for the first time in this paper. Pretreatment temperature (180°C-210°C), salinity of seawater (0ppt-50ppt), and catalysts (H₂SO₄, Na₂CO₃, and NaOH) were investigated. The results showed that pretreatment temperature exerted the largest influence on seawater-based pretreatment in terms of the enzymatic digestibility and fermentability of pretreated solids, and the inhibition of pretreatment liquids to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Salinity showed the least impact to seawater-based pretreatment, which widens the application spectrum of saline water sources such as brines discharged in desalination plant. Sulfuric acid was the most effective catalyst for seawater-based pretreatment compared with Na₂CO₃ and NaOH.