In order to understand physicochemical changes in biomass occured during pretreatment, characterization study of various pretreated biomass was performed using, chemical compositional analysis, FT-IR, NMR and spectroscope. Corn stover was pretreated by various methods such as (1) soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA), (2) low–moisture anhydrous ammonia (LMAA) and (3) dilute sulfuric acid. Relative changes in chemical compositions and chemical bonds of biomass along with assignment of band positions and biomass crystallinity were investigated by FT-IR analysis. Aromatic hydrocarbons and side chains of lignin and cellulose were measured by NMR spectroscopic analysis. Study on morphological changes of biomass using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also conducted.
6-13: Physicochemical characterization of ammonia pretreated biomass
Monday, April 30, 2012
Napoleon Ballroom C-D, 3rd fl (Sheraton New Orleans)
Many ammonia-based pretreatment methods have been investigated to improve enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass. Ammonia has numerous advantages as a pretreatment reagent because it has a strong swelling effect and effectively cleaves ester linkages in the lignin. In addition it is non-corrosive and easy to recover because of its high volatility.