GERF Bulletin of Biosciences December 2011, 2(2):29-31 Abstract Introduction *Corresponding author: dev.biochem@gmail.com www.gerfbb.com Short Communication Copyright © 2011 Green Earth Research Foundation Hydrolysis of wood saw dust by combined chemical pretreatment and enzymatic methods for lignocellulosic saccharification Devendra Kumar 1 *, Kaushlesh K. Yadav 2 and Munna Singh 1 1 Department of Botany, Lucknow University, Lucknow-226007, India 2 Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, Faizabad- 224001, India Keyword: Wood saw dust (WSD), Aspergillus fumigatus, Acid hydrolysis, Enzymatic hydrolysis. Cellulose, Hemi- cellulose. Wood saw dust (WSD) after lignocellulosic saccharification by different hydrolysis methods is more efficient for ethanol production as, its contains cellulose and hemi-cellulose at higher levels 65% (w/v) and 35% (w/v), respectively. Cellulose and hemicellulose account for about a quarter of whole biomass in all land plants. A pretreatment method using chemical hydrolysis and enzymatic conversion from starch into fermentable sugars was investigated. The WSD was hydrolyzed at 1.69 g/l, using a crude culture filtrate Aspergillus fumigatus at pH 5.0 and 30ºC in acetate buffer 50 mM, while 23.3 g/ l was with 1 N sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) treatment. Aonla pomace waste was used as substitute to acid because of high acidic nature. Optimum conditions for lignocellulosic saccharification is discussed in this paper. High lignocellulosic agri-horticulture biomasses are employed as alternative bio-energy (resource) to fossil energy sources via lignocellulosic saccharification (Vintila et al., 2010). Two processes used to convert cellulose and hemicellulose into biofuel (ethanol) are enzymatic and acid hydrolysis (Akin-Osanaiye et al., 2005; Chandel et al., 2007; Jurcoane et al., 2009; Karmakar et al., 2011). The most commonly adopted technique is acid hydrolysis (Badger et al., 2002). Acidic hydrolysis is an effective method used for lignocelluloses raw material pretreatment in saccharification which could change into ethanol. Although acids are powerful agents used for biomass hydrolysis, concentrated acids are toxic, erosive and hazardous. Handling higher concentrations of acid requires reactors that are resistant to erosion in raw material pretreatment. Diluted acid hydrolysis especially sulfuric acid has been successfully developed for pretreatment of cellulosic materials. Another method of hydrolysis is enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymes are naturally occurring plant proteins that result in certain chemical reaction. However, for enzymes to work, they must obtain access to the molecules to be hydrolyzed (Baig et al., 2004). A combined strategy involving acid, base and enzymatic methods in hydrolysis of saw dust is investigated. The WSD was collected in saw dust from Kakori industrial area. The samples were brought to room temperature washed with distilled water and used in the experiment. Acid -base hydrolysis The WSD 25% (w/v) was hydrolyzed with 100 ml (1:2 w/ v) of of various concentrations of H 2 SO 4 , HCl and NaOH at room temperature treatment for 24 hr. The hydrolysates were separated to obtain any suspended or unhydrolysated materials and was neutralized by 2 N NaOH and 1 N H 2 SO 4 solution for analytical processing then autoclaved at 121ºC and 15 lbs pressure for 15 min (Nat Steel Equipment Pvt. Ltd, India). Enzymatic hydrolysis The WSD 25% (w/v) were hydrolyzed with various fungal enzymes from (10 6 spores) of Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus, Trichoderma viridae and Aspergillus wenti) with extra cellular enzymes ( i.e. α-amylase, glucoamylase, cellulase and pectinase) were used in the experiment. The hydrolyate was separated by centrifugation at 12,000 rpm at room temperature. Materials and Methods Sample collection