Different pretreatments methods were adopted in the
present study for achieving maximum delignification and
cellulose recovery from sweet sorghum bagasse. The initial
mechanical pretreatment resulted in the size reduction of
the substrate that facilitated the effective treatment by later
chemicals for maximum delignification. The pretreatment
is an indispensable step to reduce the lignin content and to
maximize the later bioconversion yields and minimize the
formation of inhibitory compounds (Young and Frazer
1987). Steam washing is the most commonly used pretreatment
method for depolymerization of the lignocellulosic
material that helps in loosening the bonds between
cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, thus increasing the
potential of cellulose hydrolysis (McMillan 1994). The
lignin forms a protective physical barrier which is not