Effect of steam and alkali pretreatment on the enzymatic hydrolysis of plants grown in saline soils

Abstract Plants cultivated in saline soils were subjected to steaming and alkali pretreatments in order to increase their susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis. Pretreatment of NaOH at room temperature gave the best overall results for the raw material, although NaOH treatment followed by autoclaving yielded fibre materials with the highest enzymatic degradation rates. For Panicum maximum , the enzymatic degradation rate was increased from 13·3% in untreated samples, to 85·9%. In the case of Leptochloa fusca (kallar grass) the enzymatic accessibility was increased from 11·2 to 77·2%. The enzymatic hydrolysis rate of Atriplex amnicola could not be enhanced to such an extent. The ash and lignin content of this material was greater than its content in cell wall polysaccharides. Steaming, compared with alkali pretreatments, gave lower yields. Major attention was given to the extensive utilization of the plant polysaccharides.