Ultrasound-assisted alkaline pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) for fermentable sugar production was carried out and the influence of particle size, liquid to solid ratio (LSR), NaOH concentration, temperature and sonication time on delignification and reducing sugar production was ascertained with Placket-Burman design. The best combination of each significant factor was determined by a central composite design (CCD) and optimum pretreatment conditions for maximum reducing sugar yield (96.27%) were particle size of 0.27 mm, LSR of 25 ml/g, NaOH concentration of 2.89% (w/v), temperature of 70.15 degrees C and pretreatment time of 47.42 min. Under these conditions, 92.11% of theoretical reducing sugar yield was observed experimentally. The substantial reduction in pretreatment time and temperature with improved efficiency is the most attractive features of the ultrasound-assisted alkaline pretreatment. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.