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Pretreatment of Pennisetum sinese Roxb. with the hydrous deep eutectic solvent
Shuhan Yang1, Yandan Pang1, Guangwen Zhuo1
1Institute of Biomass Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Energy Plants Resource and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Agricultural and Forestry Biomass, Guangzhou, 510642, PR China.
Adding water to deep eutectic solvents (DESs) enhances biomass pretreatment efficiency for Pennisetum sinese. This hydrous DES method improves cellulose retention and enzymatic hydrolysis yield, even after recycling.
Area of Science:
- Biomass Pretreatment
- Green Chemistry
- Biochemical Engineering
Background:
- Lignocellulose recalcitrance hinders efficient enzymatic saccharification.
- Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are effective but costly and viscous.
- Water addition to DESs offers potential benefits but requires mechanistic understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of water content in p-toluenesulfonic acid/choline chloride (p-TsOH/ChCl) DES on Pennisetum sinese pretreatment.
- To evaluate the impact of hydrous DES on biomass composition, viscosity, and enzymatic hydrolysis.
- To assess the recyclability and stability of the aqueous DES system.
Main Methods:
- Pretreatment of Pennisetum sinese biomass using p-TsOH/ChCl DES with varying water content (up to 50%).
- Analysis of changes in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content.
- Measurement of DES viscosity and lignin precipitation.
- Enzymatic hydrolysis assays to determine glucose yield.
- Recycling experiments of the hydrous DES.
Main Results:
- Water content above 30% improved cellulose retention.
- 50% water addition significantly reduced DES viscosity (98.9%) and increased lignin removal (6.1% to 83.4%).
- Enzymatic hydrolysis yield increased from 39.3% to 87.8% despite reduced carbohydrate solubility.
- Pretreatment efficiency remained stable over four recycling cycles.
Conclusions:
- Aqueous DES is advantageous for Pennisetum sinese pretreatment, enhancing efficiency and reducing viscosity.
- This method promotes green and efficient acquisition of biomass sugars from high-yield, stress-tolerant plants.
- The stable recyclability of hydrous DES supports its sustainable application in biorefineries.
