Abstract
Wheat straw is an abundant residue of agriculture which is increasingly being considered as feedstock for the production of fuels, energy and chemicals. The acidic decanol-based pre-treatment of wheat straw has been investigated in this work. Wheat straw hemicellulose has been efficiently converted during a single step operation into decyl pentoside surfactants and the remaining material has been preserved keeping all its promises as potential feedstock for fuels or value added platform chemicals such as hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The enzymatic digestibility of the cellulose contained in the straw residue has been evaluated and the lignin prepared from the material characterized. Wheat-based surfactants thus obtained have exhibited superior surface properties compared to fossil-based polyethoxylates decyl alcohol or alkyl oligoglucosides, some of which are largely used surfactants. In view of the growing importance of renewable resource-based molecules in the chemical industry, this approach may open a new avenue for the conversion of wheat straw into various chemicals.
Highlights
Hemicellulose, the second most abundant source of biomass next to cellulose, is currently regarded as a promising alternative to fossil chemicals
Wheat straw represents a valuable source of hemicelluloses, cellulose and lignin; it is an available co-product of wheat crop that has strong potential tonnages
The pretreatment study has been realized with the aim to valorize to highest part of hemicelluloses into alkyl pentosides
Summary
Hemicellulose, the second most abundant source of biomass next to cellulose, is currently regarded as a promising alternative to fossil chemicals. Since it cannot be digested by human beings, its use, unlike corn and starch, would not induce any negative impact on food supplies [1]. The work presented in this paper describes a new pretreatment process of wheat straw for producing mixtures of n-decyl-pentosides with good surface activities. This process directly converts wheat straw hemicelluloses in acidic decanol phase (Scheme 1). Wheat straw hemicellulose conversion into decyl glycosides (glucosides and furanosides are omitted for clarity)
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