Department of Chemical Wood Technology, University of Hamburg, Haidkrugsweg 1, 22885 Barsbüttel, Germany.
Molecules. 2020 Dec 19;25(24):6022. doi: 10.3390/molecules25246022.
Maize, also called corn, is one of the most available feedstocks worldwide for lignocellulosic biorefineries. However, a permanent biomass supply over the year is essential for industrial biorefinery application. In that context, ensiling is a well-known agricultural application to produce durable animal feed for the whole year. In this study, ensiled maize was used for steam refining experiments with subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis using the Cellic CTec2 to test the application possibilities of an ensiled material for the biorefinery purpose of fermentable carbohydrate production. Steam refining was conducted from mild (log R = 1.59) to severe conditions (log R = 4.12). The yields were determined, and the resulting fractions were characterized. Hereafter, enzymatic hydrolysis of the solid fiber fraction was conducted, and the carbohydrate recovery was calculated. A conversion to monomers of around 50% was found for the mildest pretreatment (log R = 1.59). After pretreatment at the highest severity of 4.12, it was possible to achieve a conversion of 100% of the theoretical available carbohydrates. From these results, it is clear that a sufficient pretreatment is necessary to achieve sufficient recovery rates. Thus, it can be concluded that ensiled maize pretreated by steam refining is a suitable and highly available feedstock for lignocellulosic biorefineries. Ultimately, it can be assumed that ensiling is a promising storage method to pave the way for a full-year biomass supply for lignocellulosic biorefinery concepts.
玉米，又称作谷物，是全球范围内最广泛使用的木质纤维素生物炼制原料之一。然而，为了实现工业生物炼制的应用，全年稳定的生物质供应是必不可少的。在这种情况下，青贮是一种广为人知的农业应用，可以生产全年使用的耐用动物饲料。在本研究中，使用青贮玉米进行蒸汽精炼实验，随后使用 Cellic CTec2 进行酶解，以测试青贮材料在生物炼制中生产可发酵碳水化合物方面的应用可能性。蒸汽精炼的条件从温和（log R = 1.59）到剧烈（log R = 4.12）不等。测定了产率，并对得到的馏分进行了表征。此后，对固体纤维馏分进行了酶解，并计算了碳水化合物的回收率。对于最温和的预处理（log R = 1.59），发现单体转化率约为 50%。在最高严重程度 4.12 的预处理后，理论上可用碳水化合物的转化率达到 100%。从这些结果可以清楚地看出，需要进行充分的预处理才能达到足够的回收速率。因此，可以得出结论，经过蒸汽精炼预处理的青贮玉米是木质纤维素生物炼制的一种合适且高可用性的原料。最终，可以假设青贮是一种有前途的储存方法，为木质纤维素生物炼制概念的全年生物质供应铺平道路。
