Efeito do pré-tratamento hidrotérmico no rendimento da hidrólise enzimática do campim-elefante

Abstract

The reduction of oil resources and the expansion of climate change negative effects, a consequence of fossil fuel consumption, have prompted the search for alternative energy sources. Ethanol from lignocellulosic materials is a promising alternative to fossil fuels, but its production requires pretreatment and hydrolysis of the material prior to fermentation. Unlike acid pretreatments, hydrothermal pretreatments use hot water or steam, do not require corrosion resistant reactors and generate less inhibitors. Among the lignocellulosic materials, elephant grass stands out for its high yield and characteristics such as quality, vigor and persistence, as well as a fiber content that is favorable to ethanol production. In this context, the present study shows the effects of hydrothermal pretreatment (hot water and steam) on elephant grass and its effect on the yield of enzymatic hydrolysis. For the analysis of high performance liquid chromatography on enzymatic hydrolysis samples, pretreatments using steam for 6.5 min at 220 °C released up to 232 mg glucose/ g of elephant grass. The pretreatments with hot water carried out for 6.5 min at 220 °C and 12 min at 195 °C released up to 198 mg glucose/ g of elephant grass, such value being significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that related to the untreated elephant grass (101 mg of glucose/ g of elephant grass). A reduced production of fermentation inhibitory compounds, such as furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural, was observed during the hydrothermal pretreatment. However, when glucose released, biomasses hydrothermally pretreated and enzymatically hydrolyzed, was fermented to ethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, difference was observed between the yields, suggesting inhibition of fermentation. These data indicate that the hydrothermal pretreatments can be potentially used to elephant grass biomass for bioethanol production.