Comparison of Microwave and Steam Effects as Pretreatments on Sugarcane Bagasse Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Bioethanol production from agricultural residues is one of the promising methods, since the raw materials are abundant and unvalued. Pretreatment is the most important step in bioethanol production. In this study, saccharification percentage of steam and microwave pretreatment methods was investigated in sugarcane bagasse. Microwave pretreatment was studied in two factors of microwave power and retention time (170, 450 and 850 W and 2, 6 and 10 min, respectively). In addition, steam pretreatment was surveyed in two factors of sulfuric acid containing and retention time (0, 1, 2 and 3% and 7 and 14 min, respectively). After hydrolysis, saccharification percentage was up to 49.6% for steam pretreatment and 57.2% for microwave pretreatment, respectively, compared to 20.85% in non-pretreated bagasse. So, microwave was called the more effective pretreatment in this study.