Compositional Characterization and Pyrolysis of Loblolly Pine and Douglas-fir Bark

Two potential biofuel resources, Douglas-fir and Loblolly pine bark, were subjected to extensive chemical and compositional analysis. The barks were initially extracted with dichloromethane, and the resulting extracted compounds were characterized by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometric analysis. Characterization of the major bark biocomponents indicated that Douglas-fir and Loblolly pine bark contained 22.5 and 13.2 % tannins, 44.2 and 43.5 % lignin, 16.5 and 23.1 % cellulose, and 7.6 and 14.1 % hemicellulose, respectively. Of particular interest is the high content of tannins and lignin, which make these barks excellent potential precursors for bio-oils and/or other value-added chemicals. ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to characterize the chemical structure of the lignin and tannins. These samples were also analyzed by ³¹P NMR after phosphitylation of the hydroxyl groups in lignin and tannins. The NMR spectral data indicated that the lignin in both barks contained p-hydroxyphenyl (h) and guaiacyl (g) of lignin monomers with an h/g ratio of 10:90 and 22:78 for Douglas-fir and Loblolly pine bark, respectively. Gel permeation chromatography was used to analyze the molecular weight distributions of extracted tannins, isolated cellulose, and ball-milled lignin. The pyrolysis of Douglas-fir and pine bark at 500°C in a tubular reactor generated 48.2 and 45.2 % of total oil, of which the light oil contents are 14.1 and 20.7 % and heavy oil are 34.1 and 24.4 %. Similarly, fast pyrolysis at 375°C yielded 56.1 and 49.8 % of total oil for Douglas-fir and pine bark, respectively.     

Synergism in Degradation and Utilization of Intact Forage Cellulose, Hemicellulose, and Pectin by Three Pure Cultures of Ruminal Bacteria

Pure cultures of ruminal bacteria characterized as using only a single forage polysaccharide (Fibrobacter succinogenes A3c, cellulolytic; Bacteroides ruminicola H2b, hemicellulolytic; Lachnospira multiparus D15d, pectinolytic) were inoculated separately and in all possible combinations into fermentation tubes containing orchard grass as the sole substrate. Fermentations were run to completion, and then cultures were analyzed for digestion of cellulose plus degradation and utilization of hemicellulose and pectin. Addition of the noncellulolytic organisms, in any combination, to the cellulolytic organism F. succinogenes had little effect on overall cellulose utilization. F. succinogenes degraded but could not utilize hemicellulose; however, when it was combined with B. ruminicola, total utilization of hemicellulose increased markedly over that by B. ruminicola alone. L. multiparus was inactive in hemicellulose digestion, alone or in any combination. Although unable to degrade and utilize purified pectin, B. ruminicola degraded and utilized considerable quantities of the forage pectin. In contrast, L. multiparus was very active against purified pectin, but had extremely limited ability to degrade and utilize pectin from the intact forage. Both degradation and utilization of forage pectin increased when F. succinogenes was combined with B. ruminicola. Sequential addition of two cultures, allowing one to complete its fermentation before adding the second, was used to study synergism between cultures on forage pectin digestion. In general, synergistic effects did not appear to be related to a particular sequence of utilization. The ability of F. succinogenes to degrade and B. ruminicola to degrade and utilize forage pectin contradicts both previous and present data obtained with purified pectin. Thus, isolation and characterization of ruminal bacteria on purified substrates may be misleading with regard to their role in the overall ruminal fermentation.     

Evolution of xyloglucan-related genes in green plants

Background  

The cell shape and morphology of plant tissues are intimately related to structural modifications in the primary cell wall that are associated with key processes in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. The primary cell wall is composed mainly of cellulose immersed in a matrix of hemicellulose, pectin, lignin and some structural proteins. Xyloglucan is a hemicellulose polysaccharide present in the cell walls of all land plants (Embryophyta) and is the main hemicellulose in non-graminaceous angiosperms.     

Quantification and monosaccharide composition of hemicelluloses from different plant functional types

Hemicelluloses are the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature after cellulose. So far, the chemical heterogeneity of cell-wall hemicelluloses and the relatively large sample-volume required in existing methods represent major obstacles for large-scale, cross-species analyses of this important plant compound. Here, we apply a new micro-extraction method to analyse hemicelluloses and the ratio of ‘cellulose and lignin’ to hemicelluloses in different tissues of 28 plant species comprising four plant functional types (broad-leaved trees, conifers, grasses and herbs). For this study, the fiber analysis after Van Soest was modified to enable the simultaneous quantitative and qualitative measurements of hemicelluloses in small sample volumes. Total hemicellulose concentrations differed markedly among functional types and tissues with highest concentration in sapwood of broad-leaved trees (31% d.m. in Fraxinus excelsior) and lowest concentration between 10 and 15% d.m. in leaves and bark of woody species as well as in roots of herbs. As for total hemicellulose concentrations, plant functional types and tissues exhibited characteristic ratios between the sum of cellulose plus lignin and hemicelluloses, with very high ratios (>4) in bark of trees and low ratios (<2) in all investigated leaves. Additional HPLC analyses of hydrolysed hemicelluloses showed xylose to be the dominant hemicellulose monosaccharide in tissues of broad-leaved trees, grasses and herbs while coniferous species showed higher amounts of arabinose, galactose and mannose. Overall, the micro-extraction method permitted for the simultaneous determination of hemicelluloses of various tissues and plant functional types which exhibited characteristic hemicellulose concentrations and monosaccharide patterns.     

Structural change in wood by brown rot fungi and effect on enzymatic hydrolysis

The effects of biological pretreatment on Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus, were evaluated after exposure to two brown rot fungi Gloephylum trabeum and Laetoporeus sulphureus. Changes in chemical composition, structural modification, and susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis in the degraded wood were analyzed. After eight weeks of biodegradation, the greatest loss of weight and hemicellulose were 13% and 31%, respectively, for P. radiata with G. trabeum. The content of glucan decreased slightly, being the highest loss of 20% for E. globulus with G. trabeum. Consistent with degradation mechanism of these fungi, lignin was essentially undegraded by both brown rot fungi. Both brown rot fungi cause a sharp reduction in the cellulose degree of polymerization (DP) in the range between 58% and 79%. G. trabeum depolymerized cellulose in both wood faster than L. sulphureus. Also, structural characteristic of crystalline cellulose were measured by using two different techniques - X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The biological pretreatments showed an effect on cellulose crystallinity structure, a decrease between 6% and 21% was obtained in the crystallinity index (CrI) calculated by IR, no changes were observed in the XRD. Material digestibility was evaluated by enzymatic hydrolysis, the conversion of cellulose to glucose increased with the biotreatment time. The highest enzymatic hydrolysis yields were obtained when saccharification was performed on wood biopretreated with G. trabeum (14% P. radiata and 13% E. globulus). Decreasing in DP and CrI, and hemicellulose removal result in an increase of enzymatic hydrolysis performance. Digestibility was better related to DP than with other properties. G. trabeum can be considered as a potential fungus for biological pretreatment, since it provides an effective process in breaking the wood structure, making it potentially useful in the development of combined pretreatments (biological-chemical). A viable alternative to pretreatment process that can be used is a bio-mimetic system, similar to low-molecular complexes generated by fungi such as G. trabeum combined pretreatments (biological-chemical).     

Discrimination of Kalopanax pictus from its varieties and other ‘Kalopanacis Cortex’ plants by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

‘Kalopanacis Cortex’ (KC) is an important medicinal material prescribed in Korea for the treatment of various ailments such as paralysis, arthritis, and rheumatism. In Korea, KC is defined as the dried stem bark of Kalopanax pictus. However, the stem barks of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides and Erythrina plants such as E. variegata have also been described as KC and prescribed for the same diseases. Since the pharmacological activities and contents of compounds isolated from the stem barks of these KC plants are obviously different, KC from K. pictus should be clearly discriminated from other stem bark in the best interest of public health. This study sequenced the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of 52 samples of the KC or KC plants collected from Korea, China, and Vietnam. On the basis of different nucleotide sequences of specific ITS regions among the KC plants, the primer set KP F2/KC R1 was designed to amplify a 398-bp DNA marker for discriminating K. pictus from its varieties and from other KC plants. This primer set, along with the primer sets ZR F1/ZR R4, KP F1/EV R2, and KPF1/KC R1, was successfully amplified with the DNA markers of the Z. ailanthoides, E. variegata, and K. pictus taxa, respectively. The multiplex polymerase chain reaction method developed here not only discriminates the stem bark of K. pictus from stem barks of other KC plants but also identifies KC plants that supply KC in a single process.     

Characterization of Palo Podrido, a Natural Process of Delignification in Wood

Chemical and morphological changes of incipient to advanced stages of palo podrido, an extensively delignified wood, and other types of white rot decay found in the temperate forests of southern Chile were investigated. Palo podrido is a general term for white rot decay that is either selective or nonselective for the removal of lignin, whereas palo blanco describes the white decayed wood that has advanced stages of delignification. Selective delignification occurs mainly in trunks of Eucryphia cordifolia and Nothofagus dombeyi, which have the lowest lignin content and whose lignins have the largest amount of β-aryl ether bonds and the highest syringyl/guaiacyl ratio of all the native woods included in this study. A Ganoderma species was the main white rot fungus associated with the decay. The structural changes in lignin during the white rot degradation were examined by thioacidolysis, which revealed that the β-aryl ether-linked syringyl units were more specifically degraded than the guaiacyl ones, particularly in the case of selective delignification. Ultrastructural studies showed that the delignification process was diffuse throughout the cell wall. Lignin was first removed from the secondary wall nearest the lumen and then throughout the secondary wall toward the middle lamella. The middle lamella and cell corners were the last areas to be degraded. Black manganese deposits were found in some, but not all, selectively delignified samples. In advanced stages of delignification, almost pure cellulose could be found, although with a reduced degree of polymerization. Cellulolytic enzymes appeared to be responsible for depolymerization. A high brightness and an easy refining capacity were found in an unbleached pulp made from selectively delignified N. dombeyi wood. Its low viscosity, however, resulted in poor resistance properties of the pulp. The last stage of degradation (i.e., decomposition of cellulose-rich secondary wall layers) resulted in a gelatinlike substance. Ultrastructural and chemical analyses of this substance showed the matrix to have no microfibrillar structure characteristic of woody cell walls but to still be rich in glucan.     

Ophiostomatoid fungi including two new fungal species associated with pine root-feeding beetles in northern Spain

Many bark beetles live in a symbiosis with ophiostomatoid fungi but very little is known regarding these fungi in Spain. In this study, we considered the fungi associated with nine bark beetle species and one weevil infesting two native tree species (Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra) and one non-native (Pinus radiata) in Cantabria (Northern Spain). This included examination of 239 bark beetles or their galleries. Isolations yielded a total of 110 cultures that included 11 fungal species (five species of Leptographium sensu lato including Leptographium absconditum sp. nov., five species of Ophiostoma sensu lato including Ophiostoma cantabriense sp. nov, and one species of Graphilbum). The most commonly encountered fungal associates of the bark beetles were Grosmannia olivacea, Leptographium procerum, and Ophiostoma canum. The aggressiveness of the collected fungal species was evaluated using inoculations on two-year-old P. radiata seedlings. Leptographium wingfieldii, Leptographium guttulatum, and Ophiostoma ips were the only species capable of causing significant lesions.     

四种类型栓皮栎栲胶含量

为了阐明不同类型(薄皮深裂、薄皮浅裂、厚皮深裂、厚皮浅裂)栓皮栎各器官栲胶含量,系统采集了秦岭南坡商州区4种类型的栓皮栎不同径级植株根、主干木材、叶片、枝条和树皮样品,用紫外光分光光度法(UV Spectrophotometry)测定了4种类型栓皮栎不同器官栲胶含量,分析了林木生长与栲胶含量的关系。结果表明,(1)4种类型栓皮栎的根、主干木材、叶片、枝条和树皮单宁含量平均值分别为2.64%—3.02%、1.74%—2.02%、6.63%—7.21%、4.69%—5.10%、8.87%—9.46%,叶片、枝条和树皮均可以作为栲胶生产主要原材料。(2)不同类型各器官单宁含量存在极显著差异(P0.01),4种类型的树皮、叶片、枝条单宁含量均表现为:厚皮深裂型厚皮浅裂型薄皮深裂型薄皮浅裂型;根部和主干木材在4种类型间单宁含量表现为:薄皮深裂型薄皮浅裂型厚皮深裂型厚皮浅裂型;厚皮深裂类型的栓皮栎是提取栲胶的最佳类型。(3)4种类型栓皮栎各器官单宁含量与胸径呈显著正相关,各器官单宁含量随着栓皮栎胸径增大而增多,并最终趋于稳定,在第Ⅳ径级(胸径20.1—25cm)时,栲胶含量均值最大。因此,栲胶生产可以高效利用第Ⅳ径级及其以上径级的栓皮栎,并对第Ⅳ径级以下栓皮栎进行定向培育和重点保护。     

Use of chemical fractionation and proton nuclear magnetic resonance to probe the physical structure of the primary plant cell wall

Proton magnetic resonance has been used to monitor the microscopic physical properties of etiolated hypocotyl cell walls from Phaseolus vulgaris L. at all stages in a series of chemical fractionations with ammonium oxalate and potassium hydroxide. Solid echo measurements indicate that 75% of the polymers in the intact cell wall, including the cellulose and most of the hemicelluloses, are arranged such that there is almost complete restraint of molecular motion. The chemical fractionations generally altered the physical structures of the remaining cell wall components. Digestion with 0.25% ammonium oxalate/oxalic acid solubilized the pectin and increased the mobility of the hemicellulose I component. Extraction with 4% potassium hydroxide removed the hemicellulose I component and loosened the hemicellulose II. Further extraction with 24% potassium hydroxide removed the hemicellulose II and loosened some of the cellulose. The cellulose crystallinity, as monitored by Jeener echo measurements decreased from 83% to 63% during these fractionations. We conclude that, while hemicellulose I is firmly attached to hemicellulose II, it is not in a closely packed structure. Hemicellulose II is strongly bound to cellulose and has a much more closely packed structure.     

The use of natural abundance stable isotopic ratios to indicate the presence of oxygen-containing chemical linkages between cellulose and lignin in plant cell walls

Qualitative and quantitative understanding of the chemical linkages between the three major biochemical components (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) of plant cell walls is crucial to the understanding of cell wall structure. Although there is convincing evidence for chemical bonds between hemicellulose and lignin and the absence of chemical bonds between hemicellulose and cellulose, there is no conclusive evidence for the presence of covalent bonds between cellulose and lignin. This is caused by the lack of selectivity of current GC/MS-, NMR- and IR-based methods for lignin characterisation as none of these techniques directly targets the possible ester and ether linkages between lignin and cellulose. We modified the widely-accepted “standard” three-step extraction method for isolating cellulose from plants by changing the order of the steps for hemicellulose and lignin removal (solubilisation with concentrated NaOH and oxidation with acetic acid-containing NaClO₂, respectively) so that cellulose and lignin could be isolated with the possible chemical bonds between them intact. These linkages were then cleaved with NaClO₂ reagent in aqueous media of contrasting ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios. We produced cellulose with higher purity (a lower level of residual hemicellulose and no detectable lignin) than that produced by the “standard” method. Oxidative artefacts may potentially be introduced at the lignin removal stage; but testing showed this to be minimal.Cellulose samples isolated from processing plant-derived cellulose–lignin mixtures in media of contrasting ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios were compared to provide the first quantitative evidence for the presence of oxygen-containing ester and ether bonds between cellulose and lignin in Zea mays leaves. However, no conclusive evidence for the presence or lack of similar bonds in Araucaria cunninghamii wood was obtained.     

Lignin degradation by white rot fungi on spruce wood shavings during short-time solid-state fermentations monitored by near infrared spectroscopy

Due to their outstanding capability of degrading the recalcitrant biomacromolecule lignin, white rot fungi have been attracting interest for several technological applications in mechanical pulping and wood surface modification. However, little is known about the time course of delignification in early stages of colonisation of wood by these fungi. Using a Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopic technique, lignin loss of sterilised spruce wood shavings (0.4–2.0 mm particle size) that had been degraded by various species of white rot fungi could be monitored already during the first 2 weeks. The delignification kinetics of Dichomitus squalens, three Phlebia species (Phlebia brevispora, Phlebia radiata and Phlebia tremellosa), three strains of Ceriporiopsis subvermispora as well as the white rot ascomycete Hypoxylon fragiforme and the basidiomycete Oxyporus latemarginatus were determined. Each of the fungi tested was able to reduce the lignin content of spruce wood significantly during the first week. The amount of delignification achieved by the selected white rot fungi after 2 weeks ranged from 7.2% for C. subvermispora (FPL 105.752) to 2.5% for P. radiata. Delignification was significant (P = 95%) already after 3 days treatment with C. subvermispora and P. tremellosa. Activities of extracellular ligninolytic enzymes (laccase, manganese peroxidase and/or lignin peroxidase), expressed by each of the tested fungi, were determined. Lignin was degraded when peroxidase activity was detected in the fungal cultures, but only a low level of correlation between enzyme activities and the extent of delignification was found.     

Partial chemical characterization of corn root cell walls

The present study reports on chemical changes which occur in the cell wall of Zea mays during early phases of growth. Roots of seedling corn plants were divided into a meristematic zone, the zone of elongation, and the maturation zone, and the cell wall isolated from each of these zones. The wall preparations were then extracted sequentially to obtain pectin, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin fractions. Each of these, except for the lignin fraction, was hydrolyzed and the resultant sugars isolated, identified, and estimated quantitatively. Quantitative analysis of the products of hydrolysis of these fractions demonstrated that the classical scheme of fractionation is a valuable indicator of the changes in solubility properties which the various polysaccharide components for the wall undergo. It does not however yield definite chemical entities. For example, the “pectin” fraction contains only about 3% galacturonic acid; the bulk of it being composed of glucose, xylose, and galactose. By summation of analysis of these various fractions, it was found that substances yielding glucose and xylose upon hydrolysis increase with advancing age of the tissue. Galactose- and arabinose-yielding compounds decrease and mannose appears during maturation. Anhydrouronic acids first decrease, then increase. Most interestingly, of the total dry weight of the cell wall, only 24, 45, and 50% of the meristematic, elongation, and maturation zones respectively are accounted for as simple sugars in the acid hydrolysates. Oligosaccharides were not encountered in large amounts so that the 50 to 75% of the wall weight unaccounted for would consist of polysaccharides or oligosaccharides not precipitated by ethanol from the extracting solutions employed and by polysaccharides in the hemicellulose fraction which are resistant to acid hydrolysis.     

Dietary assimilation and the digestive strategy of the omnivorous anomuran land crab<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Birgus latro</Emphasis> (Coenobitidae)

On Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, the diet of robber crabs, Birgus latro (Linnaeus) was generally high in fat, storage polysaccharides or protein and largely comprised fruits, seeds, nuts and animal material. The plant items also contained significant amounts of hemicellulose and cellulose. In laboratory feeding trials, crabs had similar intakes of dry matter when fed artificial diets high in either fat or storage polysaccharide, but intake was lower on a high protein diet. Assimilation coefficients of dry matter (69–74%), carbon (72–81%), nitrogen (76–100%), lipid (71–96%) and storage polysaccharide (89–99%) were high on all three diets. B. latro also assimilated significant amounts of the chitin ingested in the high protein diet ( 93%) and hemicellulose (49.6–65%) and cellulose (16–53%) from the high carbohydrate and high fat diets. This is consistent with the presence of chitinase, hemicellulase and cellulase enzymes in the digestive tract of B. latro. The mean retention time (27.2 h) for a dietary particle marker (⁵⁷Co-labelled microspheres) was longer than measured in leaf-eating land crabs. The feeding strategy of B. latro involves the selection of highly digestible and nutrient-rich plant and animal material and retention of the digesta for a period long enough to allow extensive exploitation of storage carbohydrates, lipids, protein and significant amounts of structural carbohydrates (hemicellulose, cellulose and chitin).Communicated by I.D. Hume     

Selection strategies for developing smooth bromegrass cell wall ideotypes

Summary A random sample of 80 families of the B8HD smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) population were tested in three environments for forage yield and cell wall constituents. Expected progress from one cycle of family selection was computed for single-trait selection and multiple-trait restricted selection. Expected gains were compared to desired goals and actual results from one cycle of phenotypic selection. Desired goals were: Model I = reduced lignin and cellulose, with increased hemicellulose, resulting in no change in cell wall content; Model II = reduced lignin and cellulose with no change in hemicellulose; or Model III = reduced lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. Single-trait selection for high hemicellulose in first harvest or low cellulose in second harvest had the best expected responses, of any single trait, for Model I. Possible undesirable effects of selection for low cellulose would be a reduction in forage yield potential. Multiple-trait restricted selection was judged to be more effective, with responses all in the desired direction, by specifying increased hemicellulose in index development. Selection in second harvest was expected to have similar responses as first harvest, except for a greater increase in forage yield. Development of Models II or III is expected to be difficult due to a negative correlation estimate between first and second harvest cell wall concentration.     

ROOT GROWTH INHIBITING, a Rice Endo-1,4-β-d-Glucanase, Regulates Cell Wall Loosening and is Essential for Root Elongation

The molecular mechanism involved in cell wall dynamics has not been well clarified, although it is quite important for organ growth. We characterized a rice mutant, root growth inhibiting (rt), which is defective in root elongation. The rt mutant showed a severe defect in cell elongation at the root-elongating zone with additional collapse of epidermal and cortex cells at the root tip caused by the defect in the smooth exfoliation of root cap cells. Consistent with these phenotypes, expression of the RT gene, which encodes a member of the membrane-anchored endo-1,4-??-d-glucanase, was specifically localized in the root-elongating zone and at the junction between epidermal and root cap cells. The enzymatic analysis of root extracts from the wild-type and rt mutant indicated that RT hydrolyzes noncrystalline amorphous cellulose. The cellulose content was slightly increased but the crystallinity of cellulose was decreased in the rt root. In addition, the hemicellulose composition was different between wild-type and rt roots. The total extensibility was significantly lower in the rt root explants. Based on these results, we concluded that RT is involved in the disassembly of the cell wall for cell elongation in roots as well as for root cap exfoliation from the epidermal cell layer by hydrolyzing the noncrystalline amorphous cellulose fibers of cellulose microfibrils resulting in loosening of the hemicellulose and cellulose interaction.     

Structural characterization of alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreated grasses exhibiting diverse lignin phenotypes

Background

For cellulosic biofuels processes, suitable characterization of the lignin remaining within the cell wall and correlation of quantified properties of lignin to cell wall polysaccharide enzymatic deconstruction is underrepresented in the literature. This is particularly true for grasses which represent a number of promising bioenergy feedstocks where quantification of grass lignins is particularly problematic due to the high fraction of p-hydroxycinnamates. The main focus of this work is to use grasses with a diverse range of lignin properties, and applying multiple lignin characterization platforms, attempt to correlate the differences in these lignin properties to the susceptibility to alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment and subsequent enzymatic deconstruction.

Results

We were able to determine that the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to to glucose (i.e. digestibility) of four grasses with relatively diverse lignin phenotypes could be correlated to total lignin content and the content of p-hydroxycinnamates, while S/G ratios did not appear to contribute to the enzymatic digestibility or delignification. The lignins of the brown midrib corn stovers tested were significantly more condensed than a typical commercial corn stover and a significant finding was that pretreatment with alkaline hydrogen peroxide increases the fraction of lignins involved in condensed linkages from 88?C95% to ~99% for all the corn stovers tested, which is much more than has been reported in the literature for other pretreatments. This indicates significant scission of ??-O-4 bonds by pretreatment and/or induction of lignin condensation reactions. The S/G ratios in grasses determined by analytical pyrolysis are significantly lower than values obtained using either thioacidolysis or 2DHSQC NMR due to presumed interference by ferulates.

Conclusions

It was found that grass cell wall polysaccharide hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes for grasses exhibiting a diversity of lignin structures and compositions could be linked to quantifiable changes in the composition of the cell wall and properties of the lignin including apparent content of the p-hydroxycinnamates while the limitations of S/G estimation in grasses is highlighted.     

Search for optimum conditions of wheat straw hemicelluloses cold alkaline extraction process

A method for the selective extraction of hemicellulose from wheat straw involving cold alkaline extraction and subsequent separation by precipitation with ethanol is proposed. Wheat straw affords selective separation of the hemicellulose fraction from the cellulose and lignin fractions with the proposed method. The hemicellulose yield was optimized by using a 2n factor design to examine the influence of temperatures (temperature was designed between 20 and 40 °C), operation times (operation time was designed between 30 and 60 min) and alkali concentrations (alkali concentration was designed between 80 and 120 g L⁻¹). These conditions allowed 56.1% of all hemicellulose initially present in the raw material, and 59.1% of the lignin, to be extracted. Subsequent separation of hemicellulose in the liquid phase from the cold alkaline extraction by precipitation with ethanol provided a fraction containing 39.4% of all hemicellulose (45.2% hemicellulose in extract/total extract) and only 12% of all lignin in the raw material.