Measuring the influence of biomass preprocessing methods on the bioconversion efficiency of miscanthus giganteus and sugarcane bagasse

Miscanthus and sugarcane bagasse were preprocessed into various forms. To measure their conversion efficiency, these forms were pretreated using dilute acid in a microwave oven, with subsequent enzymatic digestion. The results showed that in the case of miscanthus, comminution had a positive effect on conversion efficiency, but pelletization to 6.35 mm pellets did not, nor did biomass compression to 756 MPa. In addition, no significant difference was found in conversion efficiency between material obtained from a chopper harvester, and material made from full stems, cut into 10 mm long particles. In the case of sugarcane bagasse, comminution had a negative effect on conversion efficiency, but pelletization had a positive effect. Finally, a 50:50 w/w blend of miscanthus and sugarcane bagasse had a conversion efficiency that was not significantly different from its miscanthus origin material, but it did have a significantly higher conversion efficiency compared to its sugarcane bagasse origin material.