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Although cellulose is the most abundant organic molecule, its susceptibility to hydrolysis is restricted due to the rigid
lignin and hemicellulose protection surrounding the cellulose micro fibrils. Therefore, an effective pretreatment is necessary
to liberate the cellulose from the lignin–hemicellulose seal and also reduce cellulosic crystallinity. Some of the available
pretreatment techniques include acid hydrolysis, steam explosion, ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX), alkaline wet oxidation,
and hot water pretreatment. Besides reducing lignocellulosic recalcitrance, an ideal pretreatment must also minimize formation
of degradation products that inhibit subsequent hydrolysis and fermentation. AFEX is an important pretreatment technology
that utilizes both physical (high temperature and pressure) and chemical (ammonia) processes to achieve effective pretreatment.
Besides increasing the surface accessibility for hydrolysis, AFEX promotes cellulose decrystallization and partial hemicellulose
depolymerization and reduces the lignin recalcitrance in the treated biomass. Theoretical glucose yield upon optimal enzymatic
hydrolysis on AFEX-treated corn stover is approximately 98%. Furthermore, AFEX offers several unique advantages over other
pretreatments, which include near complete recovery of the pretreatment chemical (ammonia), nutrient addition for microbial
growth through the remaining ammonia on pretreated biomass, and not requiring a washing step during the process which facilitates
high solid loading hydrolysis. This chapter provides a detailed practical procedure to perform AFEX, design the reactor, determine
the mass balances, and conduct the process safely.
Affiliation(s): (1) Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA
Book Title: Biofuels: Methods and Protocols
Series: Methods in Molecular Biology | Volume: 581 | Pub. Date: Oct-05-2009 | Page Range: 61-77 | DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60761-214-8_5
Subject: Biotechnology
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