Purification of Lignocellulosic Hydrolyzates Using Flocculants to Separate Lignin and their impact on Fermentability of Sugars

Lignocellulosic hydrolyzates obtained from wheat straw and corn stover by pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis were analyzed and characterized in terms of the particle sizes distributions and compositions. The hydrolyzates were flocculated using polymers and the particulates were separated using sedimentation, filtration and centrifugation. The resultant clarified sugar solutions were analyzed for their composition and then fermented into ethanol. The removal of particulates was significantly accelerated using flocculation. The separated sugar solutions had high clarity and minimal sugar losses  compared to control solutions.