In this study, Box-Behnken design (BBD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to optimize microwave-assisted FeCl3 pretreatment conditions of rice straw with respect to FeCl3 concentration, microwave intensity, irradiation time and substrate concentration. When rice straw was pretreated at the optimal conditions of FeCl3 concentration, 0.14 mol/L; microwave intensity, 160 degrees C; irradiation time, 19 min; substrate concentration, 109 g/L; and inoculated with Trichoderma viride and Bacillus pumilus, the production of reducing sugars was 6.62 g/L This yield was 2.9 times higher than that obtained with untreated rice straw. The microorganisms degraded 37.8% of pretreated rice straw after 72 h. The structural characteristic analyses suggest that microwave-assisted FeCl3 pretreatment damaged the silicified waxy surface of rice straw, disrupted almost all the ether linkages between lignin and carbohydrates, and removed lignin. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.