Background: Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is essential for
using it as a raw material for chemical and biofuel production. This
study evaluates the effects of variables in the chemical pretreatment
of the Arundo biomass on the glucose and xylose concentrations in the
final enzymatic hydrolysate. Three pretreatments were tested: acid
pretreatment, acid pretreatment followed by alkaline pretreatment, and
alkaline pretreatment. Results: The amounts of glucose and xylose
released by the enzymatic hydrolysis of the Arundo biomass obtained
from acid pretreatment ranged from 6.2 to 19.1 g/L and 1.8 to 3.1 g/L,
respectively. The addition of alkaline pretreatment led to a higher
yield from the enzymatic hydrolysis, with the average glucose
concentration 3.5 times that obtained after biomass hydrolysis with an
acid pretreatment exclusively. The use of an alkaline pretreatment
alone resulted in glucose and xylose concentrations similar to those
obtained in the two-step pretreatment: acid pretreatment followed by
alkaline pretreatment. There was no significant difference in
5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural, or acetic acid concentrations among
the pretreatments. Conclusion: Alkaline pretreatment was essential for
obtaining high concentrations of glucose and xylose. The application of
an alkaline pretreatment alone resulted in high glucose and xylose
concentrations. This result is very significant as it allows a cost
reduction by eliminating one step