Organosolv pretreatment of corncob for enzymatic hydrolysis of Xylan

Xylan is a renewable polysaccharide, readily available in agricultural and forestry residues. It can be hydrolyzed to produce xylooligosaccharides (XOS) with prebiotic activity and xylose, a precursor for several industrial chemicals. Enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan in the lignocellulosic biomass to obtain xylose and XOS requires a pretreatment to facilitate xylanase activity. In this study, organosolv was evaluated for the delignification of corncob while retaining xylan in the pretreated biomass. The treatment at 170 °C for 1 h with 70% ethanol provided 50% lignin removal and 81% xylan recovery. Increasing temperatures and decreasing ethanol fractions decreased the pH and the xylan recovery. Loss of xylan in the organosolv at 190 °C and in the liquid hot water treatment could be prevented by the addition of 100 mM MgO, without compromising lignin removal. Pretreated corncob was suspended in citrate buffer and hydrolyzed by commercial xylanases. Accellerase XY (250 U/ml) at pH 5.5 and 55 °C and Econase XT (0.6 U/ml) at pH 6.0 and 70 °C provided around 65% xylan digestibility and generated xylose (9.8 g/l) and XOS (10.9 g/l), respectively. This approach could decrease xylan loss and degradation in the pretreatment step and yield clear hydrolysates composed of essentially xylose or XOS. Lignocellulosic biorefineries can benefit from the efficient utilization of xylan, increasing sustainability.