Composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairie

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mixtures of prairie species (mixed prairie species; MPS) have been proposed to offer important advantages as a feedstock for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. Therefore, understanding the performance in hydrothermal pret...

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Main Authors: DeMartini Jaclyn D, Wyman Charles E
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2011-11-01
Series:Biotechnology for Biofuels
Online Access:http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/4/1/52
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spelling doaj-df3b2151cb944e2f8883a4caf029a4442020-11-24T21:55:12ZengBMCBiotechnology for Biofuels1754-68342011-11-01415210.1186/1754-6834-4-52Composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairieDeMartini Jaclyn DWyman Charles E<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mixtures of prairie species (mixed prairie species; MPS) have been proposed to offer important advantages as a feedstock for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. Therefore, understanding the performance in hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of select species harvested from a mixed prairie is valuable in selecting these components for such applications. This study examined composition and sugar release from the most abundant components of a plot of MPS: a C3 grass (<it>Poa pratensis</it>), a C4 grass (<it>Schizachyrium scoparium</it>), and a legume (<it>Lupinus perennis</it>). Results from this study provide a platform to evaluate differences between grass and leguminous species, and the factors controlling their recalcitrance to pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant differences were found between the grass and leguminous species, and between the individual anatomical components that influence the recalcitrance of MPS. We found that both grasses contained higher levels of sugars than did the legume, and also exhibited higher sugar yields as a percentage of the maximum possible from combined pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. Furthermore, particle size, acid-insoluble residue (AcIR), and xylose removal were not found to have a direct significant effect on glucan digestibility for any of the species tested, whereas anatomical composition was a key factor in both grass and legume recalcitrance, with the stems consistently exhibiting higher recalcitrance than the other anatomical fractions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The prairie species tested in this study responded well to hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification. Information from this study supports recommendations as to which plant types and species are more desirable for biological conversion in a mixture of prairie species, in addition to identifying fractions of the plants that would most benefit from genetic modification or targeted growth.</p> http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/4/1/52
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author DeMartini Jaclyn D
Wyman Charles E
spellingShingle DeMartini Jaclyn D
Wyman Charles E
Composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairie
Biotechnology for Biofuels
author_facet DeMartini Jaclyn D
Wyman Charles E
author_sort DeMartini Jaclyn D
title Composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairie
title_short Composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairie
title_full Composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairie
title_fullStr Composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairie
title_full_unstemmed Composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairie
title_sort composition and hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification performance of grasses and legumes from a mixed-species prairie
publisher BMC
series Biotechnology for Biofuels
issn 1754-6834
publishDate 2011-11-01
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mixtures of prairie species (mixed prairie species; MPS) have been proposed to offer important advantages as a feedstock for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. Therefore, understanding the performance in hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of select species harvested from a mixed prairie is valuable in selecting these components for such applications. This study examined composition and sugar release from the most abundant components of a plot of MPS: a C3 grass (<it>Poa pratensis</it>), a C4 grass (<it>Schizachyrium scoparium</it>), and a legume (<it>Lupinus perennis</it>). Results from this study provide a platform to evaluate differences between grass and leguminous species, and the factors controlling their recalcitrance to pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant differences were found between the grass and leguminous species, and between the individual anatomical components that influence the recalcitrance of MPS. We found that both grasses contained higher levels of sugars than did the legume, and also exhibited higher sugar yields as a percentage of the maximum possible from combined pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. Furthermore, particle size, acid-insoluble residue (AcIR), and xylose removal were not found to have a direct significant effect on glucan digestibility for any of the species tested, whereas anatomical composition was a key factor in both grass and legume recalcitrance, with the stems consistently exhibiting higher recalcitrance than the other anatomical fractions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The prairie species tested in this study responded well to hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification. Information from this study supports recommendations as to which plant types and species are more desirable for biological conversion in a mixture of prairie species, in addition to identifying fractions of the plants that would most benefit from genetic modification or targeted growth.</p>
url http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/4/1/52
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