Comparative study of acid hydrolysis of lignin and polysaccharides in biomasses

Abstract

Effects of different acid hydrolysis conditions were studied relative to the chemical transformations of lignin in eucalyptus, sugarcane bagasse, and sugarcane straw, and on the transformations of multiple polysaccharides in eucalyptus. The acid hydrolysis using 12 mol/L sulfuric acid followed by acid hydrolysis using approximately 0.41 mol/L sulfuric acid was used as the reference for the lignin and sugar analysis. During acid hydrolysis, the relative amount of lignin increased with longer reaction times and/or greater acid concentrations for all biomasses. The overestimation of lignin in harsher acidic conditions resulted from the summation of lignocellulosic-derivatives (pseudo-lignin) together with lignin itself. Lignin reactions (dissolution/deposition) for bagasse and straw occurred in a greater extent than for eucalyptus, considering similar conditions of acid hydrolysis. The sugar transformation during acid hydrolysis was also investigated for eucalyptus. The sugar content quantified in eucalyptus decreased as the acid concentration and/or reaction time in the second hydrolysis increased. Glucose, galactose, and mannose were more resistant to harsher acidic conditions than xylose and arabinose. However, the most severe conditions (121 ºC, 90 min, and 6.15 mol/L H2SO4) caused complete sugar degradation.