The efficacy of extrusion pretreatment was evaluated by enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with straw of rapeseed, Brassica napus, an agricultural residue. An acceptable pretreatment result was obtained at a barrel temperature of 165 degrees C, acid concentration of 20 g L (1), liquid feeding rate of 13.4 cm(3) min (1), solid feeding rate of 1.0 g min(-1), screw rotation speed of 6.3 rad s (1), and residence time of 10.2 min, with a yield of xmg, representing the sum of the corresponding hydrolyzed sugars; xylose, mannose and galactose, of 794.3 g kg (1) and a glucose release of 21.0 g kg (1) These were calculated to be 963.0 g kg(-1) and 910.3 g kg (1) based on cellulose and hemicellulose recoveries,respectively. The highest enzymatic digestibility of 781.0 g kg (1)was higher than that obtained from the batch pretreatment with dilute acid by 1.4-fold. The SSF process afforded an ethanol concentration of 16.0 g L-1 corresponding to an ethanol yield of 790 g kg(-1) based on the total available cellulose in the pretreated rapeseed straw. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.