Pai Peng

Fractional purification and bioconversion of hemicelluloses

Hemicelluloses are types of plant cell wall polysaccharides, and the worlds second most abundant renewable polymers after cellulose in lignocellulosic materials. They represent a type of hetero-polysaccharide with complex structure containing glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, and galacturonic acid in various amounts, depending on the source. Hemicelluloses are usually bonded to other cell-wall components such as cellulose, cell-wall proteins, lignin, and phenolic compounds by covalent and hydrogen bonds, and by ionic and hydrophobic interactions. This paper provides a review on hemicelluloses from lignocellulosic materials, especially in regard to their isolation and purification methods, and bioconversion. Current isolation and purification strategies are summarized, including: alkali peroxide extraction, organic solvent extraction, steam explosion, ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, column chromatography, and membrane separation. In addition, the bioconversion of hemicelluloses including pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation are discussed.

Structural features and antioxidant activity of xylooligosaccharides enzymatically produced from sugarcane bagasse.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) were prepared from xylan-rich hemicelluloses isolated by potassium hydroxide from sugarcane bagasse by hydrolysis with crude xylanase secreted by Pichia stipitis. Hydrolysis for 12h produced XOS with a maximum yield of 31.8%, equivalent to 5.29 mg mL(-1) in the hydrolyzate. XOS with degrees of polymerization (DP) from 2 to 4 (xylobiose, xylotriose, and xylotetraose) were the major components in the hydrolysates, whereas the oligosaccharides with higher DP of 5-6 (xylopentaose and xylohexose) showed a constant low level. FT-IR and NMR ((1)H, (13)C, HSQC) demonstrated that XOS contained Araf and 4-O-Me-α-D-GlcpA residues. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay showed that the XOS exhibited concentration-dependent antioxidant activity. The results obtained indicate that the XOS produced from sugarcane bagasse can be employed in food-related applications.

Effect of [Emim]Ac pretreatment on the structure and enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse cellulose.

Effect of ionic liquid pretreatment on enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose was investigated in terms of the changes in the chemical and physical structure of the preparation. In this case, original cellulose isolated from sugarcane bagasse was subjected to ionic liquid ([Emim]Ac) dissolution at a mild temperature (90 °C) followed by regeneration in water and subsequently hydrolyzed by commercial cellulases. The original and regenerated cellulose were thoroughly characterized by XRD, FT-IR, CP/MAS (13)C NMR, and SEM. It was found that the original cellulose experienced an increase in glucose content from 80.0-83.3% to 91.6-92.8%, a decrease in the degree of polymerization from 974-1039 to 511-521, a crystal transformation from cellulose I to cellulose II, as well as an increase of surface area during the pretreatment. The results suggested that pretreatment led to effective disruption of cellulose for subsequent enzyme hydrolysis as evidenced by a high glucose conversion yield of 95.2%.

Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Materials for the Biorefinery: Separation and Characterization of Lignin from Calamagrostis angustifolia Kom

Dewaxed Calamagrostis angustifolia Kom was pretreated with hot water at 60 and 90°C for 3 h, and then the residue obtained was successively treated with 70% ethanol, and 70% ethanol containing 0.2%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 4.0%, and 8.0% NaOH at 80°C for 3 h. The dissolved components were subjected to further separation to get eight lignin fractions, which were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared, and sugar analysis. All the lignin fractions had small weight-average molecular weights between 810 and 2580 g/mol. Two typical lignins, L3 (prepared with 70% ethanol) and L5 (prepared with 70% ethanol containing 1.0% NaOH), were further analyzed using 1H, 13C NMR and HSQC spectroscopy. Signals from guaiacyl (G), syringyl (S), and p-hydroxyphenyl (H) units observed in aromatic/olefinic region of HSQC spectra indicated that the lignin from Calamagrostis angustifolia Kom could be classified as “GSH” lignin. In aliphatic-oxygenated region, β-O-4′ together with small amounts of β-5′, β-β′, and p-hydroxycinnamyl alcohol end group were the main interunit linkages observed. Aqueous ethanol, which could avoid the cleavage of ether bonds in lignin at neutral condition, was more effective than water on lignin extraction.