Chambliss, C. Kevin.Du, Bowen.Baylor University. Dept. of Environmental Science.2009-06-022009-06-022009-052009-06-02http://hdl.handle.net/2104/5319Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-61).A variety of inhibitory degradation products are produced during pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Production and release of these degradation products is highly affected by the pH and redox potential of pretreatment reactions. Qualitative and quantitative interrogation of hydrolysates is paramount to identifying potential correlations between pretreatment chemistries and microbial inhibition in downstream bioconversion processes. In the present study, corn stover, poplar, and pine wood were pretreated under eight different chemical conditions, which are representative of leading pretreatment processes that have been investigated in recent years. Pretreatment processes included: 0.7% H2SO4, 0.07% H2SO4, liquid hot water, wet oxidation, neutral buffer solution, aqueous ammonia, lime, and oxidative lime. Forty lignocellulosic degradation products resulting from pretreatment were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and ion chromatography (IC) in order to determine correlations between concentrations of inhibitory degradation products and pretreatment chemistry.vii, 61 p. : ill.159866 bytes394534 bytesapplication/pdfapplication/pdfen-USBaylor University theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact librarywebmaster@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.Lignocellulose -- Biodegradation.Lignocellulose -- Biotechnology.Biomass conversion.Agricultural wastes as fuel.ThesisWorldwide access