Mechanical pretreatment of biomass - Part I: Acoustic and hydrodynamic cavitation

Acoustic and hydrodynamic cavitation were examined as suitable mechanical pretreatments for lignocellulosic biomass. Microcrystalline cellulose and lime-treated sugarcane bagasse were subjected to acoustic cavitation, whereas raw and lime-treated sugarcane bagasse were subjected to hydrodynamic cavitation. Acoustic cavitation successfully increased microcrystalline cellulose enzymatic digestibility by 37% compared to no acoustic cavitation treatment; however, there was no significant effect on lime treated sugarcane bagasse. Hydrodynamic cavitation increased the enzymatic digestibility of both raw and lime-treated sugarcane bagasse. Best results were obtained using cavitation treatment of bagasse followed by lime treatment; the 3-d enzymatic digestion increased by 46% when compared to lime treatment only. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.