Abstract

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