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Effect of Extruder Parameters and Moisture Content of Switchgrass, Prairie Cord Grass on Sugar Recovery from Enzymatic Hydrolysis

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Abstract

Research on biomass pretreatment to enhance enzymatic digestibility has been done for more than decades, but a viable continuous pretreatment method needs to be developed. Extrusion has the potential to be a viable continuous pretreatment method. This study investigated the effect of compression ratio (2:1 and 3:1), screw speed (50, 100, and 150 rpm), and barrel temperature (50, 100, and 150 °C) on the sugar recovery from switchgrass (SG) and prairie cord grass (PCG) over a range of moisture contents (15, 25, 35, and 45% wb).The pretreated samples were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis for sugar recovery measurement. Statistical analyses revealed that a 3:1 screw compression ratio (compared to 2:1) increased glucose recovery by 12% and 8% and combined sugar recovery by 37% and 40% for SG and PCG, respectively. For SG, the highest sugar recovery (45.2%) was obtained at the lowest screw speed (50 rpm) and the highest temperature (150 °C) with moisture content of 15%. The highest glucose, xylose, and combined sugar recovery of 61.4%, 84.3%, and 65.8% were recorded for PCG extruded at a screw speed of 50 rpm and a temperature of 50 °C with a moisture content of 25%. Glycerol and acetic acid were byproducts found in low concentration (0.02–0.18 g/L) for both biomass.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by funding from the Agricultural Experiment Station and North Central Sun Grant Center at South Dakota State University through a grant provided by the US Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, Grant No. DTOS59-07-G-00054. Also, enzymes supplied by Novozymes, Inc for conducting this study were greatly appreciated.

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  1. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department, South Dakota State University, 1400, North Campus Drive, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA

    Chinnadurai Karunanithy & Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

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  1. Chinnadurai Karunanithy
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  2. Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan
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Correspondence to Chinnadurai Karunanithy.

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Karunanithy, C., Muthukumarappan, K. Effect of Extruder Parameters and Moisture Content of Switchgrass, Prairie Cord Grass on Sugar Recovery from Enzymatic Hydrolysis. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 162, 1785–1803 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-010-8959-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-010-8959-3

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