Production of sugars from grass silage after steam explosion or soaking in aqueous ammonia

Grass is an underutilized potential feedstock for lignocellulosic sugar production for biorefinery applications and can be stabilized by ensiling for year-round supply. This study compared soaking in aqueous ammonia and steam explosion with dilute acid as pretreatments for enzymatic saccharification of grass silage. Both treatments led to high hydrolysability of the silage carbohydrates. An ammonia loading of 10% per DM was sufficient in an...