EFFECT OF SELECTED OPERATIONAL VARIABLES ON THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF NAOH-PRETREATED PINE WOOD TO ENZYMATIC-HYDROLYSIS - A MATHEMATICAL APPROACH

Pinus pinaster wood samples were treated with NaOH solutions in order to improve their susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis. The variation s caused by pretreatments on the chemical composition of treated sampl es and on the extent of enzymatic saccharification were correlated wit h the experimental variables studied (temperature, liquor/wood ratio a nd alkali concentration). Empirical models were used to assess the ext raction and the hydrolysis steps. The reliability of the mathematical models was confirmed by further experimentation. Additional aspects af fecting the studied process (such as selectivity of extraction and kin etics of enzymatic hydrolysis) are discussed.