Release of monomeric sugars from Miscanthus sinensis by microwave-assisted ammonia and phosphoric acid treatments

Abstract

Microwave-assisted ammonium hydroxide (NH 4OH) followed by phosphoric acid (H 3PO 4) treatments were used to release monomeric sugars from Miscanthus sinensis grown in Cha-Chueng-Sao province, Thailand. Treatment with 1.0% (w/v) NH 4OH, 15:1 liquid-to-solid ratio (LSR) at 120°C temperature for 15min liberated 2.9g of monomeric sugars per 100g of dried biomass, whereas the corresponding yield for a treatment with 1.78% v/v H 3PO 4, 15:1 LSR at 140°C for 30min was 62.3g/100g. The two-stage pretreatment, treatment with NH 4OH at 120°C temperature for 15min followed by treatment with H 3PO 4 at 140°C for 30min, impressively provided the highest total monomeric sugar yield of 71.6g/100g dried biomass. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.