Date of Award

Summer 8-28-2026

Document Type

Thesis (Ph.D.)

Department or Program

Engineering Sciences

First Advisor

Lee R. Lynd

Second Advisor

Evert K. Holwerda

Abstract

Advancing the deconstruction of lignocellulosic feedstocks (e.g., corn stover and switchgrass) and conversion into liquid biofuels (e.g., ethanol) if of interest for achieving a net-zero/net-negative carbon transport sector. A key barrier to achieving economic feasibility of this conversion process is the recalcitrance of lignocellulose, the resistance to deconstruction, which is thought to be linked to the structure of the lignocellulosic matrix. This recalcitrance has been the subject of extensive research and has informed the development of a novel approach known as cotreatment with consolidated bioprocessing (C-CBP), which has been shown to reduce costs compared to conventional conversion paradigms. This thesis explores the use of milling within an ex-situ C-CBP regime as a means of increasing access to lignocellulosic biomass constituent carbohydrates for conversion into ethanol and demonstrating enhanced fractional carbohydrate solubilization (FCS). This has resulted in a body of work that saw >90% FCS in short-duration ball milling, as well as new insights into the physical and chemical changes seen in the feedstock when subjected to either ball or disc milling using analytical characterization techniques. Finally, a technoeconomic analysis describes the economics of a consolidated bioprocessing based biorefinery at various scales, with comparison to a conventional processing paradigm, and incorporation of feedstock cost which varies with biorefinery scale. These results provide further insight into the feasibility of small-scale biorefineries, which require lower overall capital investment, as well as the conditions in which C-CBP is successful for enhancing carbohydrate solubilization.

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