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Front-end recovery of protein from lignocellulosic biomass and its effects on chemical pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification

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Abstract

Front-end protein recovery from biomass at different maturities, and its effects on chemical pretreatment and enzyme hydrolysis of partially deproteinized fiber were investigated. The protein recovery from alfalfa and switchgrass biomass using sodium dodecyl sulfate and potassium hydroxide treatments was ~50–65 % of initial biomass protein. When hot water was used as extraction media, the protein recovery was 52.9 and 43.7 % of total protein in switchgrass and alfalfa, respectively. For any treatment, relative protein recovery was higher from switchgrass than from alfalfa. Only approximately half the total protein was recovered from relatively mature (early fall) biomass compared with midsummer harvested biomass. When protein was recovered partially using sodium dodecyl sulfate or potassium hydroxide, and leftover fiber pretreated, aqueous ammonia pretreatment removed 58.5–60.1 % of lignin and retained more cellulose in the fiber compared with acid pretreatment (nearly no lignin removal). Protein removal was helpful in the enzyme digestibility of fibers. Delignification of ammonia pretreated partially deproteinized alfalfa fiber was in the range of 34.4–45 %, while dilute sulfuric acid did not remove lignin effectively. Overall, the higher delignification and enzyme digestibilities were observed in aqueous ammonia pretreated partially deproteinized alfalfa fibers regardless of biomass type.

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Acknowledgments

The funding for work was provided by Iowa State University through Agricultural Experiment Station Project. We appreciate Dr. John F. Schmitz’s preliminary work on protein separation from biomass.

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Author notes

  1. Chang Geun Yoo

    Present address: Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan, Chungnam, 330-717, Korea

    Tae Hyun Kim

  2. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Chang Geun Yoo

  3. Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    B. P. Lamsal

  4. Center for Crop Utilization Research, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    B. P. Lamsal

Authors
  1. Tae Hyun Kim
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  2. Chang Geun Yoo
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  3. B. P. Lamsal
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Correspondence to B. P. Lamsal.

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Kim, T.H., Yoo, C.G. & Lamsal, B.P. Front-end recovery of protein from lignocellulosic biomass and its effects on chemical pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 36, 687–694 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-0892-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-0892-8

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