Photonanocatalyst Aided Alkaline Pretreatment and Raman Spectroscopic Characterization of Corn Stover Biomass
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Since 1905, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, now the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE), has been a leader in providing engineering solutions to agricultural problems in the United States and the world. The department’s original mission was to mechanize agriculture. That mission has evolved to encompass a global view of the entire food production system–the wise management of natural resources in the production, processing, storage, handling, and use of food fiber and other biological products.
History
In 1905 Agricultural Engineering was recognized as a subdivision of the Department of Agronomy, and in 1907 it was recognized as a unique department. It was renamed the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in 1990. The department merged with the Department of Industrial Education and Technology in 2004.
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1905–present
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- Department of Agricultural Engineering (1907–1990)
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- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (parent college)
- College of Engineering (parent college)
- Department of Industrial Education and Technology, (merged, 2004)
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Abstract
To improve the chemical pretreatment efficiency of bio-ethanol, a photocatalyst assisted alkaline approach was developed to remove lignin structure and increase the amount of fermentable component in lignocellulosic biomass (corn stover). Two kinds of base tested in this study were aqueous ammonia and sodium hydroxide, respectively. Due to the high volatility, a special experimental design was used in ammonia pretreatment, which limited the UV penetration, hence only moderate improvement on enzymatic digestibility of the treated biomass could be obtained through the photocatalyst-assisted photodegradation. Meanwhile, testing with sodium hydroxide yielded elevated delignification result and confirmed that the UV penetration played an essential role in photocatalytic treatment.