Abstract
► Pre-extraction removed pith from the corn stalks and kash. ► Dissolved materials in the pre-extracted liquor can be used for biomaterials and fuels. ► Pre-extracted pulp showed almost similar strength properties. ► Pre-extracted pulp showed almost similar bleachability. The limited reserves of fossil fuel and trend of global warming increase interest in renewable resources. In this circumstance, significance has been developed on the production of fuels and chemicals from biomass that will replace fossil fuel. Corn stalks and Saccharum spontaneum (kash) are agricultural wastes, which are good raw materials for pulp production. However, there are limitations in achieving the desired pulp quality due to the presence of pith. The pith constitutes 20–35% of the dry matter of the raw materials. It must be removed prior to pulping to obtain good quality pulp. Chemically pith is similar to lignocellulosic, but it does not have fibrous structure. So the pith can be used in producing fuels and chemicals. Pre-hydrolysis prior to soda-AQ pulping of corn stalks and kash was carried out in order to remove pith as well as to extract hemicelluloses for use as fuel and chemicals. The pre-hydrolysis was performed at 150 °C for 1 h. Pre-hydrolysis extracted 50–60 kg sugars, 28–34 kg lignin and 8–22 kg acetic acid per tonne of corn stalks/kash with the sacrifice of pulp yield. Pre-hydrolysed pulp had less fines resulting in lower drainage resistance ( 0 SR) as compared to non-prehydrolysed counterpart. Pulp produced from the pre-hydrolysed corn stalks and kash had higher tear index but lower tensile index than the non-prehydrolysed counterpart. The pre-hydrolysis process requires careful optimization of the pulping process, and allows lower chemical charges. After D 0 E p D 1 bleaching, the differences of pulp yield and physical properties were reduced. The pre-hydrolysed pulp showed almost similar bleachability to non pre-hydrolysed pulp.
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