Electron Beam irradiation as a Pretreatment of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for Enzymatic Saccharification

The electron beam irradiation was applied as a pretreatment of the enzymatic saccharification of industrial hemp biomass with doses of 0 (control), 150, 300 and 450 kGy. The higher Irradiation dose resulted in the more extraction with 0.5% sodium hydroxide solution extraction at room temperature. The higher solubility of treated samples came from xylan degradation induced by electron beam irradiation based on carbohydrate compositional analysis by H-1-NMR spectroscopic method. The changes in micro structure of hemp resulted in the better response to enzymatic hydrolysis with commercial cellulases (Celluclast 1.5L and Novozym 342). The higher improvement in enzymatic hydrolysis by the irradiation was found in the hydrolysis of the xylan than that of the cellulose in polysaccharides of hemp.