Abstract
The effects of sodium sulfite pretreatment on the delignification rate, cellulose content, enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency, and glucose yield of corncob residues (CCR) were investigated. The optimum pretreatment conditions were as follows: 12% sodium sulfite, with a pH value of 7, a temperature of 160 °C, and a holding time of 20 min. Under the optimal conditions, the cellulose content in the pretreated residue was 85.17%, and sodium lignosulfonate with a sulfonation degree of 0.677 mmol/g was obtained in the waste liquids. A delignification rate of 77.45% was also achieved after the pretreatment. Enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated CCR was carried out with cellulase (5 FPU/g substrate) and β-glucosidase (10 IU/g substrate) for 48 h. The untreated CCR were hydrolyzed using cellulase (20 FPU/g substrate) and β-glucosidase (10 IU/g substrate) for 48 h. The comparison results showed that sodium sulfite pretreatment improved the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency and glucose yield, which increased by 28.80% and 20.10%, respectively. These results indicated that despite the application of low cellulase dosage, high enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency substrate could be produced, and the sodium lignosulfonate which can be used for oilfields and concrete additives was obtained from the sodium sulfite–pretreated CCR.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arel HŞ, Aydin E (2017) Effects of Ca-, Mg-, K-, and Na-lignosulfonates on the behavior of fresh concrete. Constr Build Mater 157(Supplement C):1084–1091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.09.190
Behera S, Arora R, Nandhagopal N, Kumar S (2014) Importance of chemical pretreatment for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. Renew Sust Energ Rev 36(Supplement C):91–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.04.047
Brar KK, Kaur S, Chadha BS (2016) A novel staggered hybrid SSF approach for efficient conversion of cellulose/hemicellulosic fractions of corncob into ethanol. Renew Energy 98:16–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2016.03.082
Bu L, Tang Y, Gao Y, Jian H, Jiang J (2011) Comparative characterization of milled wood lignin from furfural residues and corncob. Chem Eng J 175(Supplement C):176–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2011.09.091
Bu L, Xing Y, Yu H, Gao Y, Jiang J (2012) Comparative study of sulfite pretreatments for robust enzymatic saccharification of corn cob residue. Biotechnol Biofuels 5(1):87. https://doi.org/10.1186/1754-6834-5-87
Cavka A, Martín C, Alriksson B, Mörtsell M, Jönsson LJ (2015) Techno-economic evaluation of conditioning with sodium sulfite for bioethanol production from softwood. Bioresour Technol 196(Supplement C):129–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.07.051
Cheng K-K, Wang W, Zhang J-A, Zhao Q, Li J-P, Xue J-W (2011) Statistical optimization of sulfite pretreatment of corncob residues for high concentration ethanol production. Bioresour Technol 102(3):3014–3019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.09.117
Chu Q, Li X, Xu Y, Wang Z, Huang J, Yu S, Yong Q (2014) Functional cello-oligosaccharides production from the corncob residues of xylo-oligosaccharides manufacture. Process Biochem 49(8):1217–1222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2014.05.007
Devendra LP, Pandey A (2016) Hydrotropic pretreatment on rice straw for bioethanol production. Renew Energy 98(Supplement C):2–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2016.02.032
Duque A, Manzanares P, Ballesteros M (2017) Extrusion as a pretreatment for lignocellulosic biomass: fundamentals and applications. Renew Energy 114:1427–1441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.06.050
Fan X, Cheng G, Zhang H, Li M, Wang S, Yuan Q (2014) Effects of acid impregnated steam explosion process on xylose recovery and enzymatic conversion of cellulose in corncob. Carbohydr Polym 114(Supplement C):21–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.07.051
Fang X, Shen Y, Zhao J, Bao X, Qu Y (2010) Status and prospect of lignocellulosic bioethanol production in China. Bioresour Technol 101(13):4814–4819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.11.050
Galbe M, Zacchi G (2012) Pretreatment: the key to efficient utilization of lignocellulosic materials. Biomass Bioenergy 46(Supplement C):70–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.03.026
Ghose TK (1987) Measurement of cellulase activities. Pure Appl Chem 59(2):257–268
Gómez Bernal H, Bernazzani L, Raspolli Galletti AM (2014) Furfural from corn stover hemicelluloses. A mineral acid-free approach. Green Chem 16(8):3734–3740. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4GC00450G
Hu J, Arantes V, Saddler JN (2011) The enhancement of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates by the addition of accessory enzymes such as xylanase: is it an additive or synergistic effect? Biotechnol Biofuels 4(1):36. https://doi.org/10.1186/1754-6834-4-36
Hu J, Arantes V, Pribowo A, Saddler JN (2013) The synergistic action of accessory enzymes enhances the hydrolytic potential of a “cellulase mixture” but is highly substrate specific. Biotechnol Biofuels 6(1):112. https://doi.org/10.1186/1754-6834-6-112
Hu J, Arantes V, Pribowo A, Gourlay K, Saddler JN (2014) Substrate factors that influence the synergistic interaction of AA9 and cellulases during the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass. Energy Environ Sci 7(7):2308–2315. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4EE00891J
Jaisamut K, Paulová L, Patáková P, Kotúčová S, Rychtera M (2016) Effect of sodium sulfite on acid pretreatment of wheat straw with respect to its final conversion to ethanol. Biomass Bioenergy 95:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2016.08.022
Kamoun A, Jelidi A, Chaabouni M (2003) Evaluation of the performance of sulfonated esparto grass lignin as a plasticizer–water reducer for cement. Cem Concr Res 33(7):995–1003. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)01098-0
Konduri MK, Kong F, Fatehi P (2015) Production of carboxymethylated lignin and its application as a dispersant. Eur Polym J 70(Supplement C):371–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2015.07.028
Li H, Deng A, Ren J, Liu C, Lu Q, Zhong L, Peng F, Sun R (2014) Catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment of corncob into xylose and furfural via solid acid catalyst. Bioresour Technol 158:313–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.02.059
Li H, Wang X, Liu C, Ren J, Zhao X, Sun R, Wu A (2016) An efficient pretreatment for the selectively hydrothermal conversion of corncob into furfural: the combined mixed ball milling and ultrasonic pretreatments. Ind Crop Prod 94:721–728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2016.09.052
Lu F, Ralph J (2011) Solution-state NMR of lignocellulosic biomass. J Biobased Mater Bio 5(2):169–180. https://doi.org/10.1166/jbmb.2011.1131
Ma L, Cui Y, Cai R, Liu X, Zhang C, Xiao D (2015) Optimization and evaluation of alkaline potassium permanganate pretreatment of corncob. Bioresour Technol 180:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.12.078
Mou H, Li B, Fardim P (2014) Pretreatment of corn stover with the modified hydrotropic method to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis. Energy Fuel 28(7):4288–4293. https://doi.org/10.1021/ef5001634
Pérez-Rodríguez N, García-Bernet D, Domínguez JM (2017) Extrusion and enzymatic hydrolysis as pretreatments on corn cob for biogas production. Renew Energy 107(Supplement C):597–603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.02.030
Procentese A, Johnson E, Orr V, Garruto Campanile A, Wood JA, Marzocchella A, Rehmann L (2015) Deep eutectic solvent pretreatment and subsequent saccharification of corncob. Bioresour Technol 192:31–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.05.053
Quinlan RJ, Sweeney MD, Lo Leggio L, Otten H, Poulsen J-CN, Johansen KS, Krogh KBRM, Jørgensen CI, Tovborg M, Anthonsen A, Tryfona T, Walter CP, Dupree P, Xu F, Davies GJ, Walton PH (2011) Insights into the oxidative degradation of cellulose by a copper metalloenzyme that exploits biomass components. Proc Natl Acad Sci 108(37):15079–15084. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1105776108
Saini JK, Patel AK, Adsul M, Singhania RR (2016) Cellulase adsorption on lignin: a roadblock for economic hydrolysis of biomass. Renew Energy 98:29–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2016.03.089
Shuai L, Yang Q, Zhu JY, Lu FC, Weimer PJ, Ralph J, Pan XJ (2010) Comparative study of SPORL and dilute-acid pretreatments of spruce for cellulosic ethanol production. Bioresour Technol 101(9):3106–3114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.12.044
Sjöström E (1993) Wood chemistry. Fundamentals and applications, 2nd ed. Academic Press, San Diego
Sluiter A (2008) Determination of structural carbohydrates and lignin in biomass: laboratory analytical procedure (LAP). National Renewable Energy Laboratory Technical Report, Golden, Colo
Smichi N, Messaoudi Y, Moujahed N, Gargouri M (2016) Ethanol production from halophyte Juncus maritimus using freezing and thawing biomass pretreatment. Renew Energy 85:1357–1361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2015.07.010
Tang Y, Xia L, Ding X, Luo Y, Huang F, Jiang Y (2011) Duplication of partial spinosyn biosynthetic gene cluster in Saccharopolyspora spinosa enhances spinosyn production. FEMS Microbiol Lett 325(1):22–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.2011.02405.x
Vaaje-Kolstad G, Westereng B, Horn SJ, Liu Z, Zhai H, Sørlie M, Eijsink VGH (2010) An oxidative enzyme boosting the enzymatic conversion of recalcitrant polysaccharides. Science 330(6001):219–222. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1192231
Wang GS, Lee J-W, Zhu JY, Jeffries TW (2011) Dilute acid pretreatment of corncob for efficient sugar production. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 163(5):658–668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-010-9071-4
Wu M, Pang J, Lu F, Zhang X, Che L, Xu F, Sun R (2013) Application of new expansion pretreatment method on agricultural waste. Part I: influence of pretreatment on the properties of lignin. Ind Crop Prod 50(Supplement C):887–895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.08.047
Wu M, Zhao D, Pang J, Zhang X, Li M, Xu F, Sun R (2015) Separation and characterization of lignin obtained by catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment of cotton stalk. Ind Crop Prod 66(Supplement C):123–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.12.056
Xing Y, Bu L, Zheng T, Liu S, Jiang J (2016) Enhancement of high-solids enzymatic hydrolysis of corncob residues by bisulfite pretreatment for biorefinery. Bioresour Technol 221(Supplement C):461–468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.09.086
Yan J, Joshee N, Liu S (2013) Kinetics of the hot-water extraction of Paulownia Elongata woodchips. J Bioproc Eng Biorefin 2(1):1–10. https://doi.org/10.1166/jbeb.2013.1041
Yan J, Joshee N, Liu S (2016) Utilization of hardwood in biorefinery: a kinetic interpretation of pilot-scale hot-water pretreatment of Paulownia elongata woodchips. J Biobased Mater Bio 10:1–10
Yan Y-H, Li H-L, Ren J-L, Lin Q-X, Peng F, Sun R-C, Chen K-F (2017) Xylo-sugars production by microwave-induced hydrothermal treatment of corncob: trace sodium hydroxide addition for suppression of side effects. Ind Crop Prod 101:36–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.02.024
Yang M, Wang J, Hou X, Wu J, Fan X, Jiang F, Tao P, Wang F, Peng P, Yang F, Zhang J (2017) Exploring surface characterization and electrostatic property of Hybrid Pennisetum during alkaline sulfite pretreatment for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysability. Bioresour Technol 244(Part 1:1166–1172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.08.046
Yeh T-F, Chang M-J, Chang W-J (2014) Comparison of dilute acid and sulfite pretreatments on Acacia confusa for biofuel application and the influence of its extractives. J Agric Food Chem 62(44):10768–10775. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf504461c
Yu G, Li B, Wang H, Liu C, Mu X (2013) Preparation of concrete superplasticizer by oxidation-sulfomethylation of sodium lignosulfonate. BioResources 8(1)
Yu G, Yano S, Inoue H, Inoue S, Wang J, Endo T (2014) Structural insights into rice straw pretreated by hot-compressed water in relation to enzymatic hydrolysis. Appl Biochem Biotech 174(6):2278–2294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-014-1199-1
Zhang X, Qin W, Paice MG, Saddler JN (2009) High consistency enzymatic hydrolysis of hardwood substrates. Bioresour Technol 100(23):5890–5897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.06.082
Zhang DS, Yang Q, Zhu JY, Pan XJ (2013) Sulfite (SPORL) pretreatment of switchgrass for enzymatic saccharification. Bioresour Technol 129(Supplement C):127–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.11.031
Zhang C, Houtman CJ, Zhu JY (2014) Using low temperature to balance enzymatic saccharification and furan formation during SPORL pretreatment of Douglas-fir. Process Biochem 49(3):466–473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2013.12.017
Zhang X, Yuan Q, Cheng G (2017) Deconstruction of corncob by steam explosion pretreatment: correlations between sugar conversion and recalcitrant structures. Carbohydr Polym 156:351–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.09.044
Zhao X, Moates GK, Elliston A, Wilson DR, Coleman MJ, Waldron KW (2015) Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of steam exploded duckweed: improvement of the ethanol yield by increasing yeast titre. Bioresour Technol 194(Supplement C):263–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.06.131
Zheng A, Zhao K, Li L, Zhao Z, Jiang L, Huang Z, Wei G, He F, Li H (2017) Quantitative comparison of different chemical pretreatment methods on chemical structure and pyrolysis characteristics of corncobs. J Energy Inst 91:676–682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joei.2017.06.002
Zhu JY, Pan XJ, Wang GS, Gleisner R (2009) Sulfite pretreatment (SPORL) for robust enzymatic saccharification of spruce and red pine. Bioresour Technol 100(8):2411–2418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2008.10.057
Funding
The work was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31370582 and No. 31770624), the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning (No. 20170540069), National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2018YFD0400703), the Program for Liaoning Excellent Talents in University (LR2016058) and Liaoning BaiQianWan Talents Program (201945).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical statement
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, H., Jiang, L., Cheng, Y. et al. Improving enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of corncob residue through sodium sulfite pretreatment. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 103, 7795–7804 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-10050-7
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-10050-7