Hamzah Fansuri, Rama Oktavian, Sugili Putra, Hanny Frans Sangian, Renanto Handogo
The growing demand for renewable energy has intensified research into bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass, a sustainable and abundant resource. However, the structural complexity and recalcitrance of lignocellulose require effective pretreatment to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis for bioethanol conversion. To address these challenges, gamma irradiation is emerging as one of the nonconventional pretreatments in addition to microwaves, electron beams, ultrasound, and X-rays, which are often used to break the bonds of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose and further degrade cellulose into simple sugars. This study explores the ongoing progress of gamma irradiation technology as an innovative pretreatment method for producing bioethanol. Moreover, the mechanisms and the effect of gamma irradiation on cellulose degradation and the surface morphology of irradiated biomass are also studied. Gamma irradiation integration with conventional pretreatment (e.g., NaOH 4%) on reed stalk biomass may lead to the highest cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis conversion rate, reaching 85.02% at 800 kGy. Compared to other radiation methods, gamma irradiation has more advantages with the deepest penetration and experienced high soluble sugars up to 55% at 2000 kGy from sugarcane bagasse. While gamma irradiation demonstrates considerable promise on the laboratory scale, economic and technical barriers remain for its industrial-scale application. Future research should optimize gamma irradiation parameters, explore hybrid pretreatment strategies, and expand its applicability to diverse biomass resources. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Japan KK, part of Springer Nature 2025.
Department of Agroindustrial Technology, University of Trunojoyo Madura, East Java, Bangkalan, 69162, Indonesia; Department of Chemical Engineering, Brawijaya University, East Java, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Nuclear Chemical Technology, Indonesian Polytechnic of Nuclear Technology, Yogyakarta, Sleman, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Physics, University of Sam Ratulangi, North Sulawesi, Manado, 95115, Indonesia; Department of Chemical Engineering, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, East Java, Surabaya, 60111, Indonesia
