Principal factors affecting the yield of dilute acid pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass: A critical review.

This review provides a critical analysis of the state of the art of dilute acid pretreatment applied to lignocellulosic biomass. Data from 63 publications were extracted and analysed. The majority of the papers used residence times of<30 min, temperature ranges from 100 °C to 200 °C, and acid levels between 0 % and 2 %. Yields are quantified directly after pretreatment (xylose content) or after enzymatic hydrolysis (glucose content). Statistical analyses allowed the time-temperature equivalence to be quantified for three types of biomass: they were formulated by non-linear expressions. In further works, investigating less explored areas, for example moderate temperature levels with longer residence times, is recommended. Pretreatment material (time-temperature kinetics, reactor type) and analytical methods should be standardized and better described. It becomes mandatory to promote the development of an open, findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable data approach for pretreatments research.