Propylene Glycol-based Biomass Deconstruction
Year: 2019
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: A propylene glycol-based process is presented and evaluated using eucalyptus residues as model feed-stock. Under mild conditions (160 ºC, 3 hours), PG-based organosolv was able to remove 58% of the total lignin as well as 57% of total xylan present in the feedstock. Furthermore, propylene glycol proved to be highly selective for lignin and xylan solubilitazion, as the cellulosic fraction remained intact. Water to PG ratio in pretreatment solvent had a significant impact on the selectivity of the process for xylan and lignin solubilization, as higher water content yields more hemicellulose removal and less delignification. Additionally, the pretreatment enhanced the enzymatic digestibility of remaining fraction enriched with cellulose. Glucan digestibility (72%) reached its maximum of 63% for the pretreatment with PG 75% at 160ºC for 3 hours. A model correlation was found between glucan digestibility and xyaln and lignin recoveries.
Source: ETA Florence
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3202018465