COMPARISON OF PRETREATMENT METHODS ON THE BASIS OF AVAILABLE SURFACE-AREA

The relationships between physical and chemical properties of mixed hardwood and cellulolytic hydrolysis were studied. Mixed hardwood was pretreated using alkaline peroxide, ethylenediamine, autohydrolysis, or acid hydrolysis at three levels of pretreatment severity. The pretreated wood fractions were then hydrolyzed using Trichoderma reesei cellulase, and their crystallinities, lignin contents, and surface areas available to the enzyme determined. The 2 h glucose yields from enzymatic hydrolysis were found to depend solely on the surface area available to the enzyme, regardless of pretreatment method. This result is significant since it provides a common basis for the comparison of pretreatment effectiveness, whereas in the past no such comparison was available.