Integrating mild chemical pretreatments with endogenous protein supplement for complete biomass saccharification to maximize bioethanol production by enhancing cellulases adsorption in novel bioenergy Amaranthus

Amaranthus is a fast-growing perennial plant containing large amounts of extractable green proteins and lignocellulose residues. However, it remains to explore optimal Amaranthus biomass process technology for biofuel production. In this study, we examined that mild alkali and acid pretreatments (1% NaOH, 2% H2SO4) were sufficient for near-complete biomass enzymatic saccharification, while 8% Amaranthus endogenous proteins were supplemented into the enzymatic hydrolyses. By performing classic yeast fermentation with all carbon sources from directly-extractable sugars and starch and lignocellulose enzymatic hydrolysis, this work achieved the bioethanol yield up to 23.5% (% dry matter). Notably, with respect to extremely high yield of Amaranthus straw, the maximum bioethanol yield was estimated at 14.46 t/ha/year, which was much higher than those of other major bioenergy crops as previously reported. Furthermore, this work proposed a hypothetic model to elucidate how the complete biomass saccharification was achieved to maximize bioethanol production at large scale, based on the effective wall polymer extraction and distinct lignocellulose feature modification for remarkably enhanced biomass porosity and cellulases adsorption. Hence, this work has demonstrated that Amaranthus could be applied as a novel and leading bioenergy crop, providing a powerful strategy for optimal biomass processing towards high bioethanol production.