Investigating the endothermic nature of the reactions of hybrid hydroxideperoxide with lignin in corn stover and napier grass for simple sugar production

Abstract

Abstract Napier grass and Corn Stover samples were collected as waste materials for sugar production. The samples were pretreated and hydrolyzed using hydrogen peroxide and Trichoderma ressei cellulase respectively. Chemical kinetics of the delignification process shows that the reduction reactions of lignin during pretreatment are dependent on the nature of raw material, temperature, concentration of the hydrogen peroxide and their activation energies. The calculated activation energies show that the reactions of lignin in both biomasses are though endothermic, but less energy intensive and more economically viable for Napier grass when compared to corn Stover. Based on the results, in order to obtain higher sugar yield from Napier grass and corn stover under the investigated conditions, both samples should be processed at 105 °C for 96 hours using 0.3 M and 0.1M hydrogen peroxide concentrations respectively.