A method for recovering inorganic salt during processing of a
lignocellulosic feedstock is provided. The method comprises pretreating
the lignocellulosic feedstock by adding an acid or a base to the
feedstock to produce a pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock. A soluble
base or acid is then added to the pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock to
adjust the pH and produce a neutralized feedstock. The neutralized
feedstock is then hydrolyzed to produce an hydrolyzed feedstock and a
sugar stream. Inorganic salt is recovered from a wash stream obtained
from the pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock, a stream obtained from the
neutralized feedstock, a stream obtained from the sugar stream, or a
combination of these streams. The inorganic salt may be concentrated,
clarified, recovered and purified by crystallization, electrodialysis,
drying, or agglomeration and granulation, and then used as desired, for
example, as a fertilizer.