Adsorptive membranes and resins for acetic acid removal from biomass hydrolysates

The bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass requires two main steps: cellulose and hemicellulose conversion (hydrolysis) to monosaccharides followed by fermentation of the monosaccharides into the desired products. Pretreatment of the lignocellulosic biomass is required to hydrolyse hemicellulose and separate lignin, reduce cellulose crystallinity and increase the porosity of the material. Acetic acid is frequently produced during the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Acetic acid strongly influences the bioconversion of sugar containing hydrolysates. Previous studies have used anion exchange resins for acetic acid removal from different hemicellulosic hydrolysates. Here, the efficiency of an anion exchange membrane is compared to that of an anion exchange resin, for acetic acid removal. The results show that the membrane exhibited better performance in terms of dimensionless throughput and product loss.