Physical and chemical differences between one-stage and two-stage hydrothermal pretreated hardwood substrates for use in cellulosic ethanol production

Background There are many different types of pretreatment carried out to prepare cellulosic substrates for fermentation. In this study, one- and two-stage hydrothermal pretreatment were carried out to determine their effects on subsequent fermentations. The two substrates were found to behave differently during fermentation. The two substrates were then characterized using physical and chemical parameters.