Enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass in ionic liquid media for fermentable sugar production

This study investigated the enzymatic in situ hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse by Accellerase™ 1500, a commercial cellulase, in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethylphosphate (EMIM-DEP), which is a cellulose-dissolving solvent. The sugarcane bagasse was first delignified, and the remaining cellulose was used as substrate for subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. The EMIM-DEP pretreatment and related enzyme-catalyzed conditions affecting the yield of glucose liberated from the delignified bagasse were optimized. The maximal hydrolysis yield of 82.86% was obtained at an EMIM-DEP concentration of 5% (v/v), pretreatment temperature of 50 °C, pretreatment time of 3 h, enzyme-catalyzed reaction temperature of 40 °C, and enzyme loading of 178.5 U/g-substrate.

► This study presents an efficient process of producing fermentable sugar from waste lignocellulosic biomass.
► Ionic liquid employed in the enzymatic in situ hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse enhances the hydrolysis efficiency.
► The obtained glucose is suitable for various microbial applications, including bioethanol production.