Effects of sodium carbonate pretreatment on the chemical compositions and enzymatic saccharification of rice straw

► Mild alkaline media (sodium carbonate) is used for pretreatment. ► Sodium carbonate is cheap and can be easily recovered. ► Rice straw is feasible to be pretreated in mild conditions. ► Pretreated solids show significant delignification while keep most carbohydrates. ► The highest total sugar recovery of pretreated solid is above 70%.