SCB consists of three main fractions i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. It contains ca. 30–35% of hemicellulose [17].
Dilute acid treatment of hemicellulose fraction in SCB yields
a solution containing mainly glucose and xylose [18] with
small amount of arabinose [17]. Since bonds in cellulose are
stronger than in hemicellulose, a solid waste formed by cellulose and lignin is obtained in the dilute acid hydrolysis of SCB
[18]. Glucose and xylose were reported as substrates for producing hydrogen by various types of microorganisms such
as C. acetobutylicum [7] and C. butyricum [19] with the yield of
2.0 and 2.3 mol H2/mol glucose, respectively. Due to its composition, hydrolysate of SCB is a very attractive raw material for
the production of hydrogen