Effect of iron salt type and dosing mode on Fenton-based pretreatment of rice straw for enzymatic hydrolysis.

Fenton-based processes with four different iron salts in two different dosing modes were used to pretreat rice straw (RS) samples to increase their enzymatic digestibility. The composition analysis shows that the RS sample pretreated by the dosing mode of iron salt adding into HO has a much lower hemicellulose content than that pretreated by the dosing mode of HO adding into iron salt, and the RS sample pretreated by the chloride salt-based Fenton process has a much lower lignin content and a slightly lower hemicellulose content than that pretreated by the sulphate salt-based Fenton process. The higher concentration of reducing sugar observed on the RS sample with lower lignin and hemicellulose contents justifies that the Fenton-based process could enhance the enzymic hydrolysis of RS by removing hemicellulose and lignin and increasing its accessibility to cellulase. FeCl·6HO adding into HO is the most efficient Fenton-based process for RS pretreatment.