title: Dilute-sulfuric acid pretreatment of cattails for cellulose conversion.
abstract: The use of aquatic plant cattails to produce biofuel will add value to land and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by replacing petroleum products. Dilute-sulfuric acid pretreatment of cattails was studied using a Dionex accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) varying acid concentration (0.1-1%), treatment temperature (140-180 °C), and residence time (5-10 min). The highest total glucose yield for both the pretreatment and enzyme hydrolysis stages (97.1% of the cellulose) was reached at a temperature of 180 °C, a sulfuric acid concentration of 0.5%, and a time of 5 min. Cattails pretreated with 0.5% sulfuric acid are digestible with similar results at enzyme loadings above 15 FPU/g glucan. Glucose from cattails cellulose can be efficiently fermented to ethanol with an approximately 90% of the theoretical yield. The results in this study indicate that cattails are a promising source of feedstock for advanced renewable fuel production.
authors.affiliation: Biological Engineering Program, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, North Carolina A & T State University, 1601 East Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA. bzhang@ncat.edu
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Abolghasem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shahbazi
authors.forename: Oumou
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.forename: Allante
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Whitmore
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D002482:Cellulose / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005285:Fermentation; D005936:Glucans; D005947:Glucose / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D013464:Sulfuric Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D032401:Typhaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005936:Glucans; D013464:Sulfuric Acids; D002482:Cellulose; D005947:Glucose; C033158:sulfuric acid