Study on Dilute-acid Pretreatment of Corn Stalk

The effects of conditions of dilute-acid pretreatment of corn stalk on xylose recovery and performance of cellulase were investigated. Orthogonal test was employed to optimize the condition of pretreatment. The results showed that a maximum 85.64% of xylose recovery was obtained at 150℃, sulfuric acid 0.75% (mass fraction) and retention time 30min. The maximal total sugar 49.74g was obtained from 100g corn stalk pretreated by dilute-acid under the optimal condition, followed by cellulase hydrolysis. The results showed that in terms of the significance on xylose recovery, sulfuric acid concentration ranked the first factor, temperature the second and reaction time the third. In terms of the significance on enzymatic digestibility, however, temperature ranked the first factor, sulfuric acid concentration the second and reaction time the third. The comprehensive index was very significantly influenced by temperature and significantly influenced by sulfuric acid concentration. Pretreatment destroyed the fibrous structure of corn stalk significantly.