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Enzymatic liquefaction and saccharification of pretreated corn stover at high-solids concentrations in a horizontal rotating bioreactor

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Abstract

A self-designed horizontal rotating bioreactor (HRR) was applied for enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated corn stover to improve the process economics of ethanol production. The mixing principle was based on gravity and free fall employed with tank-rotating. The liquefaction performances using the HRR and the vertical stirred-tank reactor (VSTR) with a helical impeller were compared and analyzed by measuring rheological properties of the slurry. During the enzymatic hydrolysis, viscosity decreased dramatically in the initial phase for both bioreactors and more pronouncedly for the HRR. Rheological parameters fitted to the power law showed that shear thinning properties of the slurry weakened during the reaction. The glucose concentration was used to define the efficiency of the saccharification reaction. The HRR also proved to be more efficient for glucose release with both the constant and fed-batch substrate addition modes. Liquefaction and saccharification at 25 % w/w dry matter (DM) and enzyme loading of 7 FPU/g DM resulted in the optimal glucose concentration of 86 g/kg. Results revealed a decrease in cellulose conversion at increasing initial DM, which was slighter in the HRR compared with that in the VSTR.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20876078), the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20936002), the United Foundation of NSFC and Guangdong Province (No. U0733001), the National Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China (No. 2009AA02Z208), the National Key Technology Support Program of China) (2011BAD23B03), Research of  arachidonic acid production of Mortierella alpina based on metabonomics (No.21176124).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science and Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China

    Jian Du & He Huang

  2. College of Science, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China

    Fazhan Zhang, Yuanyuan Li, Hongman Zhang, Jingrui Liang & Hongbo Zheng

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  1. Jian Du
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  2. Fazhan Zhang
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  3. Yuanyuan Li
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  4. Hongman Zhang
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Correspondence to Hongman Zhang.

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Du, J., Zhang, F., Li, Y. et al. Enzymatic liquefaction and saccharification of pretreated corn stover at high-solids concentrations in a horizontal rotating bioreactor. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 37, 173–181 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-0983-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-0983-6

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