Pretreated Central Appalachian Hardwood Residues and their Potential for Bioenergy Production

Hardwood residues of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) and northern red oak (Querus rubra) were pretreated with two alkaline solutions: 1) ammonium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide (ASO) and 2) hydrogen peroxide/ammonium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide (PASO) mixtures. After pretreatment, particulates of yellow-poplar, northern red oak, and pulp were enzymatically hydrolyzed with cellulases (Accellerase 1000 [Genencor International, Rochester, NY]) for comparisons of glucose production. ASO pretreatment increased the lignin solubility of yellow-poplar and northern red oak by an average of 8.6%. PASO pretreatment performed better than ASO pretreatment with respect to lignin decrease in the pretreated wood. Sugar yield after enzymatic hydrolysis ranged from 70-81 mg/mL for PASO-pretreated yellow-poplar and northern red oak residues, respectively, and 50-62 mg/mL for ASO-pretreated yellow-poplar and northern red oak