COMMON ASPECTS OF ACID PREHYDROLYSIS AND STEAM EXPLOSION FOR PRETREATING WOOD

The initial rate of hydrolysis using cellulase from Trichoderma reesei for various wood samples is directly proportional to the surface area available to the enzyme. Both dilute acid hydrolysis in a continuous flow reactor or autohydrolysis in a steam exploder are similar pretreatment methods in that they increase the pore volume of the wood by removing hemicellulose which increases the surface area available to the enzyme. Thus, pretreated wood samples by either method with the same available surface area give essentially the same initial rate of hydrolysis; and, the increase in rate of hydrolysis is controlled by the severity of the pretreatment.