The effects of delignification on hemicellulose extraction from switchgrass, pine and poplar, 2016 Pulping, Engineering, Environmental, Recycling, Sustainability (PEERS) Conference Proceedings

Hemicellulose is an underutilized, abundant biopolymer found in lignocellulosics and can be an important product in a biorefinery. There is interest in using hemicellulose as a substitute for starch in disposable product applications.  This study has an objective of understanding the effect of delignification on hemicellulose extraction efficiency on different types of lignocellulosic biomass. The effects of delignification on hemicellulose extraction were found to depend on the type of biomass. In the case of pine, pretreated with an acidic sodium chlorite delignification, 50.2% of hemicellulose could be extracted using a 10% sodium hydroxide solution (liquor to wood ratio of 20 to 1); without delignification, only 3.4% of hemicellulose could be extracted. In contrast, using 10% sodium hydroxide solution for extraction without prior delignification, acceptable hemicellulose extraction efficiencies (55.5% and 50.7%, respectively) were achieved from switchgrass and poplar. A higher hemicellulose extraction yield could be achieved for switchgrass and poplar, both about 67%. An ethanol/NaOH pretreatment was shown to have low lignin removal and therefor did not improve hemicellulose extraction conversion. This research is important for developing commercially feasible hemicellulose extraction technologies. 

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