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Intensification of low concentration alkaline pretreatment with planetary ball milling for efficient enzymatic saccharification of enset fiber (Ensete ventricosum)

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Abstract

Effective pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is required to improve cellulose accessibility and enhance enzymatic hydrolysis. In this study, Enset fiber was subjected to different pretreatments to increase the glucose yield from enzymatic hydrolysis. Firstly, the effect of milling time, rotational speed, and milling mode in planetary ball milling were studied. Secondly, the intensification effect of combining planetary ball milling with low concentration alkaline pretreatment in sequential and simultaneous (dry chemomechanical) schemes were investigated. Following pretreatment, samples were hydrolyzed using cellulase and their crystallinity; particle size and morphology were analyzed. The result confirmed that the maximum glucose yield achieved from the dry chemomechanical method was 581 g/kg of pretreated Enset fiber, which is 86 and 22% higher compared to single alkaline and single dry ball milling pretreatments, respectively. Compared to the sequential pretreatments, the dry chemomechanical pretreatment resulted in comparable glucose yield from hydrolysis while cutting the pretreatment time from 120 to 90 min. Moreover, the energy efficiency of dry chemomechanical pretreatment was 1.3, 5.3, and 7.8 times higher than the energy efficiency of dry ball milling, sequential, and alkaline pretreatments, respectively. Therefore, the action of alkali and planetary ball milling in the dry chemomechanical pretreatment acted synergistically to intensify the pretreatment and enhance the production of glucose.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to give special thanks to the KU Leuven and Bahir Dar University for providing the necessary resources and support for this study.

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the German Government for their financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001, Leuven, Belgium

    Yalew Woldeamanuel Sitotaw & Tom Van Gerven

  2. Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

    Yalew Woldeamanuel Sitotaw & Nigus G. Habtu

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  1. Yalew Woldeamanuel Sitotaw
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  2. Nigus G. Habtu
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Correspondence to Tom Van Gerven.

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Sitotaw, Y.W., Habtu, N.G. & Van Gerven, T. Intensification of low concentration alkaline pretreatment with planetary ball milling for efficient enzymatic saccharification of enset fiber (Ensete ventricosum). Biomass Conv. Bioref. 13, 14097–14112 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-02185-3

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