Search

The presence of hemicellulose inhibits the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of different hemicellulose fractions on the enzymatic hydrolysis and the way to eliminate the inhibiting effect caused by hemicellulose. Four kinds of hemicelluloses, namely, HXF, H15, H30, and H60, were first extracted from corn stover by ethanol fractional precipitation. The structures of hemicellulose samples were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, and high-performance ion chromatography. The results show that H30 has the strongest inhibition on the enzymatic hydrolysis of Avicel and corn stover, presenting inhibition ratio of 13.35% and 9.98%, respectively. The inhibition ratios of other hemicelluloses in Avicel and corn stover are 8–12% and 5–9%, respectively. However, the inhibiting effect caused by H30 is removed by adding hemicellulase, which even presents a 4.99% increase in the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover. The corresponding glucose concentration reached 68.11 g/L. This research could help design effective processes to promote the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]