This thesis summarizes an investigation into the need for removing extractives
from herbaceous biomass feedstocks prior to their chemical characterization. Switchgrass
(Panicum virgatum), was used in this study as a representative herbaceous biomass
feedstock. The influence of extractives on the chemical analysis of switchgrass was done
by comparing the composition...
The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of physicochemical
properties of lignocellulosic biomass on the rate and extent of cellulose conversion, i.e.
the "hydrolyzability" of the substrate.
The initial two parts of this thesis investigated the interactions between various
components of pretreated biomass. The relevance of cellulase...
The efficiency of cellulose hydrolysis under straight saccharification and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) conditions was evaluated using three lignocellulosic materials (switchgrass, cornstover, and poplar), which had been pretreated with dilute sulfuric acid under conditions which optimized xylose concentrations in the prehydrolysate liquid. Yields of glucose, cellobiose and ethanol obtained...