Resumen

PERNALETE, Zoycris et al. Fractionation of sugar cane bagasse by ammonia treatments: Effect of bagasse moisture and ammonium dose. Bioagro [online]. 2008, vol.20, n.1, pp.3-10. ISSN 1316-3361.

To evaluate the capability of sugarcane bagasse treated by ammonia pressurization and depressurization (PDA) for cattle feeding and as a substrate for ethanol production, different treatment conditions were tested in order to obtain the maximum solubilized fraction of the lignocellulosic constituents. The bagasse was treated in a reactor pressurized with nitrogen and ammonia, with the reaction occuring in liquid phase for 5 minutes at 100 ºC. The PDA treatment was performed varying the ammonia loadings (0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 g·g^-1 of sugar cane bagasse), and the bagasse moisture content (10, 30, and 50 %). The most favorable treatment condition was ammonia loading of 1.00 g·g^-1, and 50 % moisture content. At these conditions, the treatment solubilized 57.3 % of the hemicellulose and raised the soluble content up to 119.7 %. The cellulose and lignin showed little variation. The treated bagasse retained ammonia, increasing the nitrogen content, particularly at high moisture content. The reducing sugar content in the sugarcane was very low, indicating that the treatment did not generate sugars. The mild conditions of the treatment and the high fraction of solubles obtained enhance the potential of sugarcane bagasse for ethanol production or as a substrate for animal consumption.

Palabras clave : Reducing sugars; cellulose; hemicellulose; lignin; nitrogen.