Investigation of Dilute Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) Pretreatment of Rice Straw For the Improved Enzymatic Hydrolysis by Cellulase

Abstract

Lignocellulosic biomass is recognised for its recalcitrance to degradation by hydrolysis enzymes or microorganisms. In this work, an investigation of the effect of dilute hydrochloric acid pretreatment on improving the hydrolysis of rice straw using cellulase from Trichoderma longibrachiatum. The investigation comprised two parts. The first part was an experimental methodology designed to determine the impact of the pretreatment incubation time on the hydrolysis yields. The second part examined complementary literature correspondence regarding the potential of further optimisation of the hydrolysis through enzyme fed-batch mode enabling its application on a pilot scale.