was harvested in Hamilton County, IA. Wheat straw was harvested in
Leslie, MI. Rice straw was harvested from Craighead County, AR, and
Butler County, MO. All materials were initially stored in large square
bales before being chopped to ∼2.5 cm particle size using a
Vermeer BG 480 grinder. Chopped biomass was stored in plastic-lined
supersacks at <10% moisture prior to use. AFEX treatment in a packed
bed reactor was performed using the method described by Sarks et al.17 (link) After treatment, the biomass was pelletized
using a Buskirk PM810 flat die pelletizer and stored at room temperature
and <10% moisture. For comparison, AFEX treatment was also performed
in a Parr reactor using the method described by Hanchar et al.18 (link)Acetamide (99%, CAS no. 60-35-5), d3-Acetamide (D + 99%, CAS no. 23724-60-9), propionamide
(97%, CAS no. 79-05-0), 9-xanthydrol (98%, CAS no. 90-46-0), and methanol
were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Ethyl acetate
and hexane were purchased from Fisher Chemicals. Water was prepared
using a Millipore Milli-Q purification system, and hydrochloric acid
was purchased from EMD Millipore.