Cotton gin trash (CGT) collected from Australian cotton gins was evaluated for bioethanol
production. CGT composition varied between gin operations and contained high levels of extractives
(26–28%), acid-insoluble material (17–22%) and holocellulose (42–50%). Pretreatment conditions of time
(4–20 min), temperature (160–220 C) and sulfuric acid concentration (0–2%) were optimised using a
central composite design. Response surface modelling revealed that CGT fibre pretreated at 180 C in
0.8% H2SO4 for 12 min was optimal for maximising enzymatic glucose recoveries and achieved yields
of 89% theoretical, whilst the total accumulated levels of furans and acetic acid remained relatively
low at