Wet Oxidation Pretreatment of Poplar Waste for Enhancing Enzymatic Hydrolysis Efficiency

In this paper, we described the optimization of the wet oxidation pretreatment conditions to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency, using poplar waste from the stock section of a paper mill as the raw material. We showed that the optimal conditions of the pretreatment for poplar waste were an initial p H value of 10, a temperature of 195℃, a holding time of 15 min, and an oxygen pressure of 1.2 MPa. In this case, the yield of the obtained solid material produced by the process was 51.7% and the reducing sugar yield was 46.8%. The solid part obtained from the pretreatment process was hydrolyzed by cellulase L-10. The optimal enzymatic conditions were a temperature of 49℃, a duration time of 56 h, an enzyme dosage of 38 FPU/g at a p H value of 4.8, and a solid-to-liquor ratio of 1∶50. The resulting cellulose conversion rate reached 96.4% in terms of the pretreated substances. In addition, a chemical composition analysis of the poplar waste and pretreated material indicated that about 92% of the hemicelluloses and 43% of the lignin in the raw material were degraded and dissolved. In addition, the crystallization decreased from 57.5% to 54.8%. An obvious fibrillation of the fiber pretreated by the wet oxidization process was observed by SEM. Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) results showed a high xylose content and monosaccharide degradation products in the pretreatment solution. In conclusion, the wet oxidation pretreatment process could efficiently degrade or remove the lignin and hemicellulose, as well as reduce the crystallinity of the lignocellulosic material, which resulted in animprovement of the enzymatic ability and an increase in the cellulose conversion rate.

Enhancement of Enzymatic Saccharification of Wheat Straw Residue by Ammonium Sulfite Pretreatment

Efficient utilization of wheat straw residue(WSR) from pulp mills is an important priority for the sustainable development of the pulp and paper industry. In this study, the effects of ammonium sulfite(AS) pretreatment with different AS charges(wt%) and pretreatment temperatures on the chemical composition and enzymatic hydrolysis of WSR were studied. The results revealed that more lignin was removed with the increase of pretreatment temperature and AS charge. The degradation of hemicellulose became severe at high pretreatment temperature, while cellulose remained stable during the pretreatment process. The enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of pretreated WSR was increased and then decreased with the increase of the AS charge and pretreatment temperature. The AS charge exerts a stronger effect on enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency than the pretreatment temperature. Glucan and xylan conversion ratios up to 88.9% and 44.9%, respectively, were obtained. The highest total sugar conversion ratio was 67.0% when WSR pretreated with 16% AS at 165℃ was hydrolyzed with a cellulase loading of 40 FPU per gram of glucan.

Polyoxometalate-Induced Efficient Recycling of Waste Polyester Plastics into Metal–Organic Frameworks

Polyester plastics such as poly(ethylene terephthal-ate)(PET)are utilized commonly in everyday life,yet only a small portion of these plastics are recycled,and typically,the recycling procedures face energy or pollution problems.