Effects of fungal pretreatment and steam explosion pretreatment on enzymatic saccharification of plant biomass

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Abstract
The effects of consecutive treatments by a lignin‐degrading fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium and by steam explosion for the enzymatic saccharification of plant biomass were studied experimentally, and the optimal operational conditions for obtaining the maximum saccharification were evaluated. Beech wood‐meal was treated by the fungus for 98 days and then by high steam temperatures of 170–230°C with steaming times of 0–10 min. The treatment of the wood‐meal by fungus prior to steam explosion enhanced the saccharification of wood‐meal. The treated wood‐meal was separated into holo‐cellulose, water soluble material, methanol soluble lignin, and Klason lignin. The saccharification decreased linearly with the increase in the amount of Klason lignin. It was estimated by the equation for the saccharification of exploded wood‐meal expressed as a function of steam temperature and steaming time that the maximum saccharification of wood‐meal was obtained by consecutive treatments such as fungal treatment for 28 days and then steam explosion at a steam temperature of 215°C and a steaming time of 6.5 min. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.