Bioresource Technology, Vol.49, No.3, 247-251, 1994
PRETREATMENT OF BAGASSE BY NONIONIC SURFACTANT FOR THE ENZYMATIC-HYDROLYSIS
Enzymatic hydrolysis of bagasse was accelerated by pretreatment with 3.33% wt nonionic surfactant (Tween 20; polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate) at 170-190-degrees-C. The amount of the lignin remaining in the pretreated bagasse decreased by about 22-27% and the enzymatic hydrolysis rate increased, because of an increase in the surface area of cellulose accessible to enzyme, compared to those pretreated with water. This effect is based on the fact that surfactant makes hydrophobic degradation products extractable to water. The pretreatment effect varied with the HLB (hydrophile-lipophile balance) values of surfactant. The hydrophilic surfactant having high HLB values was useful for the extraction of hydrophobic degradation products from lignin and hemicellulose. In the pretreatment at 190-degrees-C, an addition of Tween 20 to the UCT-solvent (binary solvent with water, having upper critical-temperature in the manual solubility curve) increased the effect of UCT-solvent pretreatment. This is because the surfactant makes the separation of the degradation products easier.