Optimal tartaric acid pretreatment of reed for bioethanol production by fed batch semi-synchronous saccharification fermentation

This study investigated the pretreatment of reed by tartaric acid in ethanol and the fed batch semi-synchronous saccharification fermentation of the pretreated reed to produce bioethanol. An orthogonal experimental design was used to optimize the reaction temperature with sugar yield as the target value. The results showed that 97.4 % of glucan was retained while 99.9 % of xylan recovered as xylose when reed was pretreated with 25 % tartaric acid in ethanol at 170 degrees C for 30 min. The pretreated reed achieved 95.2 % of cellulose-to-glucose conversion through the enzymatic saccharification. The spent tartaric acid can be recycled for reuse at least four times. The pretreated reed achieved a 55.5 % bioethanol yield by a semi-synchronous saccharification fermentation process.