LAUSR

Abstract Moderate chemical pretreatment to increase the energy density and improve of chemical components, also called preconversion, is an emerging strategy to secure feedstock supplies in biorefinery systems. This study investigates the alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) preconversion of softwood for its potential use at distributed depots, which are preprocessing facilities near natural resource sources. Specifically, this study quantified the effects of treatment conditions such as hydrogen peroxide concentration, reaction temperature, and time on chemical compositions and enzymatic hydrolysis. Results show that AHP preconversion led to the removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the recovered solids. Increasing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide decreased carbohydrate recovery after the preconversion process. There was no significant difference of total sugar yield from enzymatic hydrolysis at various hydrogen peroxide loadings. Carbohydrate recovery was over 96% after preconversion at 30 °C compared to that of the untreated sample. A longer reaction time increased the total enzymatic sugar yields. Morphological analysis revealed significant structure modification, with cracks and fragments in Douglas-fir after AHP preconversion.