TY - JOUR
T1 - A Chemical-Recovery-Free Ammonium Sulfite-Based Alkali Pretreatment of Corn Stover for Low-Cost Sugar Production via Fertilizer Use of Waste Liquor
T2 - Article No. 132402
AU - Ma, Shuaishuai
AU - Shiva, Fnu
AU - Tao, Haiying
AU - Dempsey, Jacob
AU - Chen, Xiaowen
AU - Yuan, Jinxia
AU - Zhu, J.Y.
AU - Yuan, Joshua
AU - Zhou, Le
AU - Yang, Bin
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - The production of cellulosic sugars is a pivotal strategy for advancing biomass bioconversion. This study evaluated the pretreatment of corn stover using ammonium sulfite and potassium hydroxide to develop comprehensive data on sugar, lignin, chemicals, and overall mass recovery profiles in a batch reactor at 80 degrees C. The results indicated significant improvements in delignification, deacetylation, enzymatic digestibility, and overall sugar yield. Specifically, pretreating corn stover with a solution of 40 wt% potassium hydroxide and 15 wt% ammonium sulfite at 80 degrees C for 2 h achieved 78.9 % lignin removal and 82.1 % acetyl removal, resulting in a total sugar yield exceeding 87.5 % with an enzyme loading of 12.5 mg protein/g-glucan plus xylan. The pretreated spent liquor, containing ammonium, potassium, sulfur, biomass-derived organics, and inorganics, demonstrated substantial potential as a fertilizer. The techno-economic analysis projected a minimum sugar selling price of $0.285 per pound, supporting the ongoing development and implementation of chemical-recovery-free pretreatment technology.
AB - The production of cellulosic sugars is a pivotal strategy for advancing biomass bioconversion. This study evaluated the pretreatment of corn stover using ammonium sulfite and potassium hydroxide to develop comprehensive data on sugar, lignin, chemicals, and overall mass recovery profiles in a batch reactor at 80 degrees C. The results indicated significant improvements in delignification, deacetylation, enzymatic digestibility, and overall sugar yield. Specifically, pretreating corn stover with a solution of 40 wt% potassium hydroxide and 15 wt% ammonium sulfite at 80 degrees C for 2 h achieved 78.9 % lignin removal and 82.1 % acetyl removal, resulting in a total sugar yield exceeding 87.5 % with an enzyme loading of 12.5 mg protein/g-glucan plus xylan. The pretreated spent liquor, containing ammonium, potassium, sulfur, biomass-derived organics, and inorganics, demonstrated substantial potential as a fertilizer. The techno-economic analysis projected a minimum sugar selling price of $0.285 per pound, supporting the ongoing development and implementation of chemical-recovery-free pretreatment technology.
KW - ammonium sulfite
KW - enzymatic hydrolysis
KW - fertilizer replacement
KW - minimum sugar selling price
KW - potassium hydroxide
KW - techno-economic analysis
U2 - 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132402
DO - 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132402
M3 - Article
SN - 0960-8524
VL - 427
JO - Bioresource Technology
JF - Bioresource Technology
ER -