Abstract

                                An ultrasonic pretreatment was evaluated for the delignification of the corncob biomass. The ultra-sonication process was carried in an ultrasonicwater bath for 1 hr, 33 kHz, and 100 watts. Three different pretreatmentcombinations were studied; corncob with distilled water, corncob with buffer,and corncob with buffer and enzyme (Tramates versicolor), and assessedfor lignin reduction, hemicellulose reduction, and cellulose increase. Theresults indicated that sonication of corncob biomass with the enzyme yielded44.19%, 6.74%, and 15.39% of lignin and hemicellulose reduction andcellulose increase, respectively. In FTIR, a reduction in peak intensity for ligninat wavenumbers 1697.05 cm-1, 1534.1 cm-1 and 1328.71 cm-1 was noticed.Thus, ultrasonic pretreatment can be effectively used for the delignificationof corncob biomass.

Key words : Corncob; Pretreatment; laccase; ultrasonication; Delignification