Compositional changes in sugarcane bagasse on low temperature, long-term diluted ammonia treatment.

Sugarcane bagasse is the major by-product of the sugar industry. It has a great potential for the production of biofuels and chemicals due to its considerable amount of cellulose and hemicellulose. In this study, we investigated a simple and economic pretreatment process using dilute ammonia for the storage of sugarcane bagasse. Sugarcane bagasse was stored in 0, 0.03, and 0.3% (w/w) ammonium hydroxide in a closed bottle for 40 days at 30 degrees C under atmospheric pressure without any agitation or circulation. Samples were taken every 10 days and analyzed for changes on lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose composition, ammonia concentration, and microbial counts. Biomass storage for 40 days at 0.3% ammonium hydroxide removed 46% of lignin and retained 100% cellulose and 73% hemicellulose.