Biorefinery concept pursues different pathways of complete utilisation of biomass. In pulp production the potential of hemicelluloses has quite often been overlooked. Among the possible hemicelluloses isolation techniques, acidic prehydrolysis is being widely investigated nowadays. Unfortunately, one of the major undesired reactions in acidic conditions is hydrolytic depolymerisation of cellulose which leads to the formation of new reducing end groups. After autohydrolysis, the residual polysaccharide fraction is very susceptible towards peeling off reactions in subsequent alkaline cooking, which in turn results in substantial pulp yield loss.Stabilisation of cellulose reducing end-groups against alkaline peeling could decelerate further degradation to a certain extent. It was demonstrated that sodium borohydride, anthraquinone and anthraquinone monosulfonate applied in-situ in the alkaline pulping liquor are capable of preserving cellulose yield considerably. In this paper, degradation kinetics of carbohydrates in alkaline conditions upon acidic pretreatment and stabilisation was studied on the model cellulose substrate � cotton linters.

Alkaline degradation of carbohydrates upon acidic pretreatment and stabilisation

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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