Base activation of persulfate: an effective pretreatment method to enhance glucose production from lignocellulosic biomass

Pretreatment is a necessary process in biorefineries to overcome recalcitrance of biomass and enhance its conversion efficiency for further transformation. NaOH activation of Na 2 S 2 O 8 , which merges alkaline pretreatment and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) into one process, was performed at room temperature (25 °C) within a short duration (60 min). High concentration of NaOH plays a critically important role in NaOH–Na 2 S 2 O 8 pretreatment, which not only selectively removed hemicellulose in the lignocellulosic feedstock, but also activated Na 2 S 2 O 8 to produce strong oxidative radicals, leading to disruption of lignin matrix. The surface area and porosity for the pretreated feedstock were significantly increased compared with those of the pristine counterpart. After pretreatment by 5.12 M NaOH and 0.85 M Na 2 S 2 O 8 , the maximum glucose yield of the feedstock was increased by 47.4% compared with that of pristine counterpart (60.3% vs. 40.9%). This study provides an effective and easily-realizable pretreatment method for the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Graphic abstract