SEM observations of untreated and microwave pretreated
sugarcane bagasse (Fig. 4) showed that the pretreatment induced
physical changes in the biomass. The untreated sugarcane bagasse
has smooth and continuous surface whereas the microwave pre-
treated sugarcane bagasse has a rough surface.MAL treated biomass
showed a sieve like structure. This indicates that pretreatment
removed external fibers which in turn increase surface area so that
cellulose becomes more accessible to enzymes. Similar structural
changes were earlier reported for rice straw pretreated with elec-
tron beam irradiation [36] and for rice straw pretreated with
aqueous ammonia soaking pretreatment [37].