In order to remove acetyl group from yellow poplar, deacetylation was performed using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) prior to oxalic acid pretreatment. During the deacetylation (60 ℃ for 80 min, 0.8% NaOH), most of the acetyl group were removed from hemicellulose. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and semi-SSF were carried out based on solid loading (10, 12.5, 15%) of deacetylated biomass and pre-hydrolysis with enzymes (0, 6, 12, 24 h). The highest ethanol was obtained as 26.73 g/L after 120 h when 10% of biomass was used for SSF. It is corresponding to 88.41% of theoretical ethanol yield. At the 12.5% and 15% of biomass loading, the highest ethanol was obtained from 6 h pre-hydrolysis. It was 32.34 g/L and 27.15 g/L, respectively, and corresponding to ethanol yield of 85.58 and 59.87%. In order to remove fermentation inhibitors from hydrolysates, overliming was performed using calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2). The highest ethanol was 5.28 g/L after 72 h of fermentation.