Multifaceted characterization of sugarcane bagasse under different steam explosion severity conditions leading to distinct enzymatic hydrolysis yields

•Steam explosion under different severities has a pivotal role in the production of clean fermentable sugars.•Enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency is strongly influenced by washing of pretreated biomass.•CLSM demonstrates that severity value is not directly correlated with the changes in lignin.•X-ray diffraction analysis shows the reorganization of cellulose fibril structure.