Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis of dilute acid pretreated sugar beet pulp using response surface design.

Abstract

In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the enzymatic digestibility of sugar beet pulp (SBP). The reaction temperature, enzyme concentration, and SBP loading were studied using a five-level central composite design. Minitab 15 software was used to perform statistical analysis of the data. The result showed that reaction temperature and enzyme concentration have significant effect on the response. The effect of SBP percent solids was found to be insignificant. A quadratic model was developed. A maximum yield of 85% was predicted with the model. Model validation experiments showed good agreement between the actual obtained yields and the predicted yields. Therefore, the model could be used to optimize the enzymatic hydrolysis of SBP process. Additional key words: sugar beet pulp, lignocellulosic, biomass, ethanol, pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentable sugar, response surface Jan. June 2012 Enzymatic Digestibility of Beet Pulp 27