Route to Optimizing Biorefinery Efficiency: High-solid, Low-dosage Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Ethanol-based Acid-catalyzed Organosolv of Cynara Cardunculus

The study explores the potential of using Cynara cardunculus stalks, a non-food lignocellulosic biomass, for sustainable production of biofuels. Addressing the challenges of low conversion efficiency and high enzyme dosage in traditional lignocellulosic biomass processing, the research investigates a microwave-assisted ethanol-based organosolv pretreatment to optimize saccharide recovery. Thie obtained cellulose pulp is treated through enzymatic hydrolysis reactions at various solid loadings. The focus is on assessing the capacity to hydrolyze the solid with low enzyme dosages. These findings suggest that the optimization of the pretreatment and hydrolysis method might significantly improve the economic feasibility of producing sugar syrups from lignocellulosic biomass, promoting the industrial viability of lignocellulosic biorefineries. Further studies are needed to identify both optimal points for organosolv and enzymatic hydrolysis.