Abstract
Background: Lignin is a promising source of building blocks for upgrading to valuable aromatic chemicals and materials. Endocarp biomass represents a non-edible crop residue in an existing agricultural setting which cannot be used as animal feed nor soil amendment. With significantly higher lignin content and bulk energy density, endo-carps have significant advantages to be converted into both biofuel and bioproducts as compared to other biomass resources. Deep eutectic solvent (DES) is highly effective in fractionating lignin from a variety of biomass feedstocks with high yield and purity while at lower cost comparing to certain ionic liquids.
Results: In the present study, the structural and compositional features of peach and walnut endocarp cells were characterized. Compared to typical woody and herbaceous biomass, endocarp biomass exhibits significantly higher bulk density and hardness due to its high cellular density. The sugar yields of DES (1:2 choline chloride: lactic acid) pre-treated peach pit (Prunus persica) and walnut shell (Juglans nigra) were determined and the impacts of DES pretreatment on the physical and chemical properties of extracted lignin were characterized. Enzymatic saccharification of DES pretreated walnut and peach endocarps gave high glucose yields (over 90%); meanwhile, compared with dilute acid and alkaline pretreatment, DES pretreatment led to significantly higher lignin removal (64.3% and 70.2% for walnut and peach endocarps, respectively). The molecular weights of the extracted lignin from DES pretreated endocarp biomass were significantly reduced. 1H–13C HSQC NMR results demonstrate that the native endocarp lignins were SGH type lignins with dominant G-unit (86.7% and 80.5% for walnut and peach endocarps lignins, respectively). DES pretreatment decreased the S and H-unit while led to an increase in condensed G-units, which may contribute to a higher thermal stability of the isolated lignin. Nearly all β-O-4′ and a large portion of β-5′ linkages were removed during DES pretreatment.
Conclusions: The high lignin content endocarps have unique cell wall characteristics when compared to the other lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks. DES pretreatment was highly effective in fractionating high lignin content endocarps to produce both sugar and lignin streams while the DES extracted lignins underwent significant changes in SGH ratio, interunit linkages, and molecular sizes.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-8-2018
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-018-1305-7
Funding Information
This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture under project Accession no. 1015068 and the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreements 1355438. This work is also supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch-Multistate project under accession number 1003563. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). This work was partially supported by the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) and the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI). The BESC and CBI are US DOE Bioenergy Research Centers supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the DOE Office of Science.
Related Content
Additional file 1. Additional figures and tables.
This is publication No. 18-05-094 of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and is published with the approval of the Director.
Repository Citation
Li, Wenqi; Amos, Kirtley; Li, Mi; Pu, Yunqiao; DeBolt, Seth; Ragauskas, Arthur J.; and Shi, Jian, "Fractionation and Characterization of Lignin Streams from Unique High-Lignin Content Endocarp Feedstocks" (2018). Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications. 226.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/bae_facpub/226
Additional file 1.
Included in
Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons, Biotechnology Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Biotechnology for Biofuels, v. 11, 304, p. 1-14.
© The Author(s) 2018.
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