Enzymatic Bioconversion of Agave Leaves FiberHydrolysis Using Plackett-Burman Design

Problem statement: Biofuels production is becoming a key factor to help decrease pollution levels and the dependency of fossil fuels. Cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass is being used as a source of raw material for biofuels production, specifically bioethanol, so many ways to use it for this purpose are being developed. Approach: Cellulose content and enzymatic depolymerization of cellulose was evaluated in this contribution. Results: Cellulose content was of 67% on fibers, which places this material as a potential raw material for bioethanol production 42% of the cellulose content of the Agave leaves fibers was released as glucose due to enzymatic degradation. Seeing the behavior of the enzymatic hydrolysis at 96 h a mathematical model was applied which gave a time for enzymatic hydrolysis which must result in the maximum of glucose liberated under the conditions used for the process. Conclusion: Using Agave Atrovirens at 44 h of enzymatic hydrolysis will provide the highest yield of glucose which can be used for other processes such as ethanolic fermentation.