Production of Carbohydrates from Cardoon Pre-Treated by Acid-Catalyzed Steam Explosion and Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Alessandro Bertini, Mattia Gelosia, Gianluca Cavalaglio, Marco Barbanera, Tommaso Giannoni, Giorgia Tasselli, Andrea Nicolini and Franco Cotana
Additional contact information
Alessandro Bertini: CIRIAF—Biomass Research Centre, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 63, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Mattia Gelosia: CIRIAF—Biomass Research Centre, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 63, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Gianluca Cavalaglio: CIRIAF—Biomass Research Centre, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 63, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Marco Barbanera: Department of Economics Engineering Society and Business Organization (DEIM), University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università s.n.c., Loc. Riello, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Tommaso Giannoni: CIRIAF—Biomass Research Centre, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 63, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Giorgia Tasselli: CIRIAF—Biomass Research Centre, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 63, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Andrea Nicolini: CIRIAF—Biomass Research Centre, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 63, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Franco Cotana: CIRIAF—Biomass Research Centre, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 63, 06125 Perugia, Italy

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 22, 1-10

Abstract: Cardoon ( Cynara cardunculus ) is a promising crop from which to obtain oilseeds and lignocellulosic biomass. Acid-catalyzed steam explosion is a thermochemical process that can efficiently pre-treat lignocellulosic biomass. The drawback is the production of a high number of carbohydrate degradation products in the liquid fraction that could inhibit microbial growth. In this work, the lignocellulosic biomass of cardoon, gathered from a dedicated field, were used as the raw material for the production of fermentable monosaccharides by employing acid-catalyzed steam explosion. The raw material was pre-soaked with a dilute 1% ( w / w ) sulfuric acid solution and then subjected to steam explosion under three different severity conditions. The recovered slurry was separated into solid and liquid fractions, which were individually characterized to determine total carbohydrate and inhibitor concentrations. The slurry and the washed solid fraction underwent enzymatic hydrolysis to release glucose and pentose monosaccharides. By conducting the pre-treatment at 175 °C for 35 min and hydrolyzing the obtained slurry, a yield of 33.17 g of monosaccharides/100 g of cardoon was achieved. At the same conditions, 4.39 g of inhibitors/100 g of cardoon were produced.

Keywords: biomass; cardoon; acid-catalyzed steam explosion; enzymatic hydrolysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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