Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the ultrasound-assisted alkaline extraction process and structural properties of hemicellulose from sugarcane bagasse pith. Response surface model (RSM) was established in order to optimize the extraction conditions for the highest hemicellulose yield based on the single-factor experiments. A maximum total hemicellulose yield of 23.05% was obtained under the optimal conditions of ultrasonic treatment time of 28 min, KOH mass concentration of 3.7%, and extraction temperature of 53 °C, and it evidently increased 3.24% compared without ultrasound-assisted extraction. The obtained hemicellulose was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The monosaccharide composition and average molecular weight of hemicellulose were characterized by using ion chromatography (IC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results indicated that xylose was dominant component in water-soluble hemicellulose (WH, 69.05%) and alkali-soluble hemicellulose (AH, 85.83%), respectively. Furthermore, the monosaccharides (otherwise xylose) and uronic acids contents of WH were higher than that of AH. Weight average molecular weight of WH was 29923 g/mol, lower than that of AH (74,872 g/mol). These results indicate that ultrasonic-assisted alkaline extraction is an efficient approach for the separation of hemicellulose from sugarcane bagasse pith.
Highlights
Sugarcane bagasse is one of the most important available by-products of sugarcane extraction, consisting of fiber bundles and other structural elements like vessels and parenchyma, which can be summarized under the technical term pith [1,2,3]
The arabinose to xylose (Ara/Xyl) ratios of water-soluble hemicellulose (WH) were higher than those of alkali-soluble hemicellulose (AH), which suggested the AH was more homogeneous than WH
The ultrasound-assisted treatment was an effective method for the yield and efficiency of hemicellulose extraction from sugarcane bagasse pith
Summary
Sugarcane bagasse is one of the most important available by-products of sugarcane extraction, consisting of fiber bundles and other structural elements like vessels and parenchyma, which can be summarized under the technical term pith [1,2,3]. In China, the annual output of sugarcane is 100 million tons [6,7], of which nearly 23% will be converted into bagasse. Approximately 23 million tons of sugarcane bagasse and 8 million tons of bagasse pith are produced. The impressively abundant bagasse pith is mainly utilized as fuel or a feedstuff, but it can be used for more value-added products. Bagasse pith (BP) is formed by three main components: cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin [8]
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