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The objective of this study is to develop a process for conditioning spent liquor produced by SO2-ethanol-water (SEW) fractionation of spruce wood chips for fermentation to butanol, ethanol and acetone/isopropanol, i.e., by means of the so called acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) process using Clostridia bacteria. This study serves as part of an overall project aiming at the development of economic processes for producing chemicals and biofuels from mixed forest biomass via SEW fractionation and ABE fermentation technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) are fractionated by SO2–ethanol–water mixture. [•] Fractionation of OPEFB feedstock produces cellulosic fibers and spent liquor. [•] Spent liquor contains dissolved hemicellulose sugars (mostly monomers) and lignin. [•] Fractionation and sugar hydrolysis is hindered by the high cation content of OPEFB. [•] Acidic leaching of OPEFB only partly removes cations; more intense deashing needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]