Efficiency of Liquid Hot Water Pretreatment of Water Hyacinth on Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment is regakrded as a promising chemical-free approach with the potential to enhance the enzymatic degradation of biomass structures. It also offers practical advantages for converting biomass into fuel products and value-added chemicals within biorefineries. This study focuses on investigating the impact of LHW pretreatment on the removal of hemicellulose and lignin structures from water hyacinth under various temperature conditions ranging from 140°C to 180°C. At a temperature of 160°C for 15 minutes, the LHW pretreatment demonstrated an optimal solubilization of hemicellulose being released into the liquid phase, giving a maximum pentose yield of 63.5%. Simultaneously, the process effectively removed up to 56.1% of lignin from the solid residue. Furthermore, the enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated biomass, conducted with Celluclast™ at a loading of 10 FPU/g, achieved a notable glucose yield of 78.2%. This result highlights the effectiveness of the pretreatment in enhancing cellulose accessibility and underscores the potential for efficient biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the pretreatment disrupted the biomass structure, enhancing the enzyme's ability to access cellulose microfibers. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the pretreated biomass exhibited a higher crystallinity index compared to the untreated sample, and BET surface area measurements indicated a notable increase in surface area. This study offers important perspectives on the impact of LHW modifies the physicochemical properties of water hyacinth and and demonstrates an effective method for processing biomass in the biorefinery industry.