Integration of mild acid hydrolysis in γ-valerolactone/water system for enhancement of enzymatic saccharification from cotton stalk

In this study, mild acid hydrolysis using gamma-valerolactone (GVL)/water system integrated with enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out for the enhancement of enzymatic saccharification efficiency. The quantitative analysis of soluble carbohydrates and structural characterizations of solid residues were conducted. Results showed that the soluble carbohydrates in the water-phase were mainly composed of monomers and oligomers from xylose and glucose, while the contents of which were depended on the ratio of GVL to water. Moreover, the inhibitors were hardly detected due to the moderate pretreatment severity. Compared with the untreated feedstock, the yields of enzymatic hydrolysis from pretreated samples increased by two-fold with the mixture of 80/20 GVL/H2O. Combined with the amount of glucose (14.6%) dissolved in the water-phase, over 92.6% of glucose in cotton stalk was released and recovered. Based on the comprehensive analysis, treatment with GVL/H2O system provided us a more effective approach for sugar production from biomass. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.