Plant materials are chiefly composed of lignocellulosic constituents namely cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. However, the recalcitrance of native lignocellulosic biomass makes it resistant to microbial hydrolysis, lowering the efficiency of organic matter bioconversion by anaerobic microorganism. To alter the structure of lignocellulose biomass to make the holocellulose suitable for bioconversion, this study uses 5%w/v NaOH solution to delignify groundnut shell and sugarcane bagasse to enhance anaerobic microbial activities on these biomass. The findings of the study for all the essential parameters: Total Solids (TS), Volatile Solid (VS), Total Carbon (TC) ,Total Nitrogen (TN), Carbon to Nitrogen ratio (C:N), Ash Contents (AC), Moisture Content (MC), lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose, using standard methods, before and after the alkalization process, revealed that, using 5% wt/v NaOH to pretreat groundnut shell and sugarcane bagasse, can effectively reduce the lignin and hemicellulose content and increase the cellulose content. In conclusion, the de-lignified biomass has a greater potential for biogas production than the untreated biomass.
Key words: Delignification; Pretreatment; Lignocellulose; Biomass
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