With the depletion of fossil energy sources, the development of renewable resources is imminent. Plant fiber resources, with its wide range of sources and huge reserves, are an important treasure trove of energy. Many important chemical raw materials and products can be derived from plant fiber raw materials. , 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is chemically active, can be prepared by oxidation, hydrogenation and condensation reactions and other derivatives, is one of the important fine chemical raw materials. 5-HMF dehydration by glucose or fructose, Fructose can also be obtained from glucose isomerization, so the premise of the widespread application of 5-HMF is rich in glucose raw materials. In particular, the direct extraction and preparation of glucose in fiber raw materials is of great significance. At the same time, the lignin in plant fiber raw materials is removed. In order to obtain cellulosic materials, it is of great significance for the use of natural polymers.
Recently, Wang Tianfu, a researcher at the 1000-person project of the Resource Chemistry Research Institute of the Xinjiang Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, used a typical solid heteropoly acid (silicotungstic acid, phosphotungstic acid, phosphomolybdic acid) as a catalyst in γ-valerolactone/ In the water solvent system, the lignin in the log wood powder was effectively removed, and a cellulose-rich material was obtained. The material characterization results showed that the heteropoly acid was effective in removing the lignin in the log wood powder. There is almost no effect on other components in the wood. With the removal of lignin, more functional groups are exposed on the surface of the material, which has positive significance for the modification of wood-based materials.
Further optimized enzyme degradation experiments showed that the cellulose substrate material after lignin removal can be enzymatically degraded to glucose under fairly mild conditions and can be used as the upstream material of glucose. It is worth emphasizing that the wood powder used in this experiment is worthy of emphasis. No pretreatment was performed, so the study has important implications for the direct use of plant resources.
The research results were published in the international engineering journal Bioresource Technology. The first author of the article was Dr. Zhang Libo. This research work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Organization Department's Thousand Talents Program and other projects.
Fig.1 Schematic diagram of the degradation of lignin in wood powder by enzymatic degradation of heteropoly acid and preparation of glucose
Fig.2 Characterization of cellulosic material and wood flour after lignin removal
Fig. 3 Optimization of enzymatic degradation of cellulose
