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玉米秸秆温和高固相NaOH-尿素预处理机制及酶解动力学模型研究

Mechanism of Mild -Temperature High-Solid NaOH-Urea Pretreatment for Corn Stover and Its Enzymatic Hydrolysis Kinetics Modeling

  • 摘要: 针对传统木质纤维素预处理面临的高温、高能耗及后续产物浓度低等严峻的工程难题,该研究以玉米秸秆为原料,构建了温和温度高固相NaOH-尿素联合预处理体系,并从分形动力学、纤维素可及性及疏水性角度深入探究了其预处理机制。通过单因素优化实验,综合考量技术可行性与经济成本,最终确定高固相预处理条件为:固载量25%(w/w)、NaOH添加量9%、尿素添加量5%、预处理温度50 ℃、预处理时间24 h。针对高固非均相酶解特性引入分形动力学模型进行拟合,结果表明NaOH-尿素联合预处理显著提升了底物酶解的速率系数(k)与理论极限浓度。其中,葡萄糖酶解的分形指数(h)由原料的0.8478显著降至0.7965,表明纤维素与酶反应体系的均质性与可及性得到提升。NaOH-尿素联合预处理极大破坏了底物的天然屏障,使得玉米秸秆纤维素的最大吸附容量(Emax)提升至421.84 mg/g,同时因木质素的大量脱除,底物表面疏水性由1.88 L/g显著降至0.44 L/g。综上所述,NaOH-尿素联合预处理综合了二者的优势,不仅能有效去除木质素、显著提升纤维素可及性,还能减少强碱对纤维素结构的损伤,为生物质提供了高效转化利用的新策略与深层机理解释。

     

    Abstract: To address the engineering challenges in lignocellulosic biorefining of stover—specifically the high energy consumption of single alkali pretreatment and the substantial water usage caused by low solid loading—this study draws on the NaOH-urea method used in the paper industry for processing non-wood fibers. By pretreating corn stover, optimizing reaction conditions, and further integrating cellulase hydrolysis, we achieved efficient production of monosaccharides required for biorefining. Through comprehensive consideration of technical feasibility, mass transfer efficiency, and economic costs, the optimal pretreatment conditions for the high-solid system were determined as follows: a solid loading of 25%, NaOH dosage of 9%, urea dosage of 5%, pretreatment temperature of 50 ℃, and pretreatment time of 24 h, overcoming the technical limitations of traditional alkali methods that rely on high temperatures and extremely low solid loadings. In parallel, we combined the Langmuir isotherm model, substrate surface hydrophobicity distribution, and SEM microstructural characterization to systematically reveal how the changes in corn straw structure induced by the combined NaOH-urea pretreatment affect the reaction kinetics of cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis. The paper progresses sequentially from macroscopic process optimization to reaction kinetic responses and then to microstructural changes, elucidating the “synergistic wall-disruption” mechanism of the combined pretreatment from both temporal and spatial dimensions, thereby achieving strong theoretical depth and completeness. At the theoretical level, the conventional Michaelis–Menten model fails to adequately describe reaction processes in heterogeneous systems. We introduce a fractal kinetic model to characterize the high-solid heterogeneous enzymatic hydrolysis system of corn straw. The fractal kinetic modeling revealed that the NaOH-urea combined pretreatment significantly increased the rate coefficient and the theoretical limit concentration of the enzymatic hydrolysis. Specifically, the fractal exponent (h) of glucose enzymatic hydrolysis decreased significantly from 0.8478 in the untreated raw material to 0.7965, indicating improved homogeneity, reduced mass transfer resistance, and enhanced accessibility of the cellulose-enzyme reaction system. Conversely, the fractal exponent of xylose enzymatic hydrolysis anomalously increased from 0.7213 to 0.8354, revealing that the residual hemicellulose network exhibits a more complex spatial heterogeneity and severe steric hindrance during the middle and late stages of degradation. Our findings confirm the distinct roles of NaOH and urea in dismantling the lignocellulosic recalcitrance barrier. NaOH primarily cleaves ether linkages and substantially reduces substrate hydrophobicity from 1.88 L/g to 0.44 L/g. Urea, as an effective hydrogen-bond disruptor and physical protective layer, promotes extreme swelling and disintegration of the cellulose substrate while minimizing excessive damage to the cellulose backbone caused by the strong alkali. This synergistic effect increased the Emax of cellulose to 421.84 mg/g, thereby improving heterogeneous mass transfer and the enzymatic catalytic microenvironment under high-solid conditions. In summary, the NaOH-urea combined pretreatment not only significantly reduces the heating energy consumption and wastewater discharge in industrial fermentation, but also suppresses the formation of fermentation inhibitors such as furfural. The residual urea in the system serves as a high-quality nitrogen source for microorganisms, eliminating the need for additional nitrogen supplementation in subsequent efficient bioconversion processes, such as integrated ethanol-methane coproduction from straw and high-solid substrate fermentation. This pretreatment strategy and the associated kinetic analysis models are not limited to corn stover; they also offer a universally applicable methodology with strong industrial potential for the low-carbon and cost-effective conversion of other high-lignin agricultural residues, including rice husks and bamboo.

     

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