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Abstract
Wood chips of pine, spruce, aspen, and maple were treated at 135–1408C with diethyl oxalate (DEO) and analyzed for extractable and residual carbohydrates. Under these conditions, DEO hydrolyzes to ethanol and oxalic acid (OA). The amount and identity of carbohydrates released from the chips were species-dependent. For all wood species, increasing the amount of chemical, time, or temperature resulted in an increment in carbohydrates released. Approximately 50% (by wt) of extracted carbohydrates were monosaccharides. In addition, acetic acid was detected in the water extracts. When extracts were subsequently alkaline-treated, more acetate was released, indicating the presence of acetyl esters. The composition of water extracts and of wood chips after treatment indicates that these treatments primarily affect hemicelluloses. In summary, treatment of wood chips with DEO or OA releases carbohydrates suitable for fermentation, with no evidence of cellulose degradation.
Keywords
Hardwoods,
softwood,
carbohydrates,
acetic acid,
oxalic acid,
alcohol,
pulping,
aspen,
hemicellulose,
oxalates,
wood chips,
pretreatment,
thermomechanical pulp,
vapor phase,
pulp and paper processes,
chips,
diethyl oxalate,
Populus,
southern yellow pine,
maple,
spruce,
biorefining
Citation
Kenealy, William; Horn, Eric; Davis, Mark; Swaney, Ross; Houtman, Carl. 2007. Vapor-phase diethyl oxalate pretreatment of wood chips. Part 2, Release of hemicellulosic carbohydrates. Holzforschung. Vol. 61 (2007): pages 230-235.
