Combined rapid-steam hydrolysis and organosolv pretreatment of mixed southern hardwoods

Various types of pretreatments are used for biomass conversion of woods. The major objective of most pre treatments is to increase the susceptibility of cellulose and lignocellulose material to acid and enzymatic hydrolysis. In this study, southern mixed hardwoods were pretreated by combined rapid steam hydrolysis (RASH) and organosolv methods. It was found that the major factor in the pretreatment was the RASH temperatures. The organosolv temperature had only a minor effect on the reactivity of the final product. The enzymatic rate studies indicated that the RASH process helps in increasing the accessibility of cellulose to enzymatic hydrolysis and increased the amount of soluble lignin While the organosolv process only removed solubilized lignin. Another effect of the combined treatment was the decreasing of the enzymatic rate relative to a single RASH pretreatment. All hemicellulose is lost during these pretreatments. Three alcohols (methanol, ethanol, and butanol) were studied using a combined RASH organosolv process. At lower temperatures there were small differences between the alcohols; however, at higher temperatures all alcohols were equally effective. At longer RASH times, the percentage of glucose in the final product, as well as the amount of solubilized lignin, increased. However, the longer RASH times led to a decrease in enzymatic rates, Organosolv residence time studies of 15, 30, and 45 minutes displayed little effect on the product. Various wood-to-solvent ratios and water-to-alcohol ratios had very little effect on the yield of products. The stability of RASH treated material be fore organosolv process was studied under various storage conditions. The storage conditions had no apparent effect on the product.