In order to better understand the structural changes of lignins under hydrothermal conditions, the milled wood lignin (MWL) was isolated from shrub Tamarix ramosissima stems before and after hydrothermal treatment. The chemical structure was characterized by carbohydrate analysis, elemental analysis, methoxy group determination, FT-IR spectroscopy, quantitative 13C NMR spectroscopy, 2D heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectroscopy (HSQC), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results indicated that the main reaction responsible for the lignin degradation was the homolytic cleavage of aryl-ether bonds resulting in a reduced amount of �-O-4' inter-linkages and, as a consequence, in elevated amounts of �-�' and �-5' linkages. Moreover, the MWL isolated from the pretreated solid residue showed that it was more condensed and had a lower molecular weight than the MWL isolated from untreated material. These results would provide critical insights on the impact of lignin degradation on enzyme digestibility and accessibility of the recalcitrant lignocellulosic substrates.

Exploring the structural changes of shrub milled wood lignins (MWL) before and after hydrothermal treatment

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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