4. Cellulosic biomass is usually subjected to pretreatment before it is converted to bioethanol.

Discuss
why pretreatment is necessary.

Pretreatment is the first step of the cellulosic bioethanol process.The ground stover is
subjected to high heat and chemicals, sterilizing the ground stover and preparing it for further
conversion. In the pretreatment step, the cellulose is more likely being broken down and
prepares it for the enzyme hydrolysis step. The pretreatment processes will result in the
disruption of the lignin seal to increase enzyme access to holocellulose, reduction of cellulose
crystallinity and increase in the surface area and porosity of pretreated substrates, resulting
in increased hydrolysis rate.
It is generally accepted that efficient pretreatment should avoid size reduction and use
of costly chemicals, improve fibre reactivity and maximize formation/recovery of sugars,
avoid loss of carbohydrate, avoid formation of enzyme-inhibiting byproducts , preserve
cellulose and hemicellulose fractions that are easily digestible by hydrolytic enzymes,
generate high-value lignin coproduct, minimize energy requirement, and achieve high sugar
yields under high biomass loads.
However, no perfect pretreatment method has been discovered since there are
variations in terms of suitability of one method for various materials, which may be further
compounded by factors such as maturity, mode of harvest, extent of drying, and storage
conditions of the feedstock.
5. Name three pretreatment techniques available to pretreat cellulosic biomass and state the
advantages and disadvantages associated with each technique.

A) Organosolv Pretreatment
Advantages:
1. Produce high-quality lignin which facilitates higher application values.
2. Potentially lowering the enzyme costs by separation of lignin before the enzymatic
hydrolysis of the cellulose fraction.
Disadvantages:
1. Costly to operate due to the requirement of high temperatures and pressures.
2. The use of mineral acids in the organosolv process is an environmental concern, and
corrosion due to the use of organic acids is a challenge.
3. Pretreated substrates need washing to prevent lignin from precipitating, and recovery of
expensive volatile organic solvents needs very efficient control systems and additional
energy requirements.
B) Weak Acid Hydrolysis
Advantages:
1. The treatment offers good performance in terms of recovering hemicellulose sugars.

2. The hemicellulose sugars might be further degraded to furfural and hydroxymethyl

furfural, strong inhibitors to microbial fermentation.
Disadvantages:
1. The process requirement of special corrosion-resistant reactors which are usually
expensive both in investment and operation compared to other chemical (e.g., dilute
alkali).
2. The energy consumption of the process and the cost of the acid as well as performance
limitations based on particle size (a few millimetres) and solids concentration (30%)
contribute significantly to the overall cost.
3. Dilute acids are less effective in removing lignin compared to alkaline methods.
4. Neutralization of pretreated contents creates solid waste, though it is necessary for
improving the downstream fermentation process.
C) Wet Oxidation
Advantages:
1. Compared to other pretreatment processes, wet oxidation has been proven to be efficient
for treating lignocellulosic materials because the crystalline structure of cellulose is
opened during the process (Panagiotou and Olsson, 2007).
2. Wet oxidation of wood material has been shown to dissolve mainly the hemicellulose.
3. The wet oxidation process is the lower production of furfural and 5hydroxymethylfurfural, which are potential inhibitors in the fermentation step.
Disadvantages:
1. WO is costly to operate owing to the need to supply high pressure oxygen and chemicals
such as sodium carbonate.
2. It appears that alkaline WO does not favour woods as was observed in the pretreatment
of spruce and willow.