Evaluation of high-solid loading enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse pretreated by hydrodynamic cavitation-assisted process using combination of enzyme cocktails

• Grant number: 21/09430-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2021
• End date: March 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Júlio César dos Santos
• Grantee: Maria Laura Silva Cunha
• Supervisor: Solange Ines Mussatto Dragone
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Denmark
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/16638-8 - Evaluation of 2G ethanol production from sugarcane bagasse pretreated by hydrodynamic cavitation-assisted oxidative process: pretreatment conditions and utilization of simultaneous hydrolysis and fermentation reactors with interconnected columns system, BP.IC

Abstract

Concerns about negative environmental impacts due to the use of non-renewable carbon and energy sources have led to research about more sustainable process technologies and products. In this context, second generation biorefineries are important alternatives, including the utilization of lignocellulosic feedstocks. In order to use the carbohydrate fractions of lignocellulosics in biotechnological processes, the development of technologies including enzymatic hydrolysis to produce glucose from cellulosic fraction, are required. However, the use of expensive enzymatic cocktails impairs the economic viability of biorefineries. Thus, our project aims to obtain fermentable sugars from sugarcane bagasse using new enzymatic blends during the hydrolysis step. The enzymatic blends will include the commercial cocktail from Novozymes, Cellic Ctec2, supplemented with different LPMOs. The proposal corresponds to a partnership between the laboratory of Dr. Julio César do Santos (Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo, Brazil) and the laboratory of Dr. Solange I. Mussatto (Technical University of Denmark, Denmark). The former will provide pretreated sugarcane bagasse for the experiments to be performed in Denmark, where different conditions of enzymatic process will be evaluated, using different enzyme blends containing LPMOs, both in flasks and in a 3L benchtop bioreactor. The obtained results are expected to contribute with economic viability of biorefineries by developing high efficiency enzymatic hydrolysis process with alternative enzymes. (AU)