Saccharification of Acacia auriculiformis Benth. biomass for the production of glucose using phosphoric acid pretreatment

Acacia auriculiformis is an exotic plant species luxuriantly grown in different parts of India. Because of its drought tolerance potential and wood quality, it is widely grown as timber crops in some part of the country. In this study we have addressed the possible use of A.auriculiformis for production of glucose, an intermediate for the production of ethanol. Chemical composition of this species was carried out and it was found that this species contains about 34 % glucan. Using Cellulose –Solvent and Organic-solvent based Lignocellulose Fractionation pretreatment the biomass of the species was hydrolyzed at two different dosages of cellulase. It was found that even at low cellulase loadings [1 Filter Paper Unit (FPU)] about 10 International Units (IU) of β- glucosidase about 88 % glucan conversion took place. This study suggests the use of this species as a biofuel feedstock for next generation fuels.