The researchers aimed to find the best way to break down corn stalks into sugars for making biofuels. They used chemicals and enzymes to treat the stalks and found that using alkali was the most effective method. The best conditions for breaking down the stalks were a pH of 4.5-5.0, a temperature of 50°C, a substrate concentration of 3.33%, and an enzyme dosage of 950 U/g stalk. By fermenting the treated stalks, they were able to increase the production of butanol, a type of biofuel, compared to traditional methods. This study lays the groundwork for using plant materials to create new sources of energy.