Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The results of the study were presented to technical professionals in the forest products industry at the 2016 Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry PEERS conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One graduate student was trained. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The findings from this study have been presented at the 2016 Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) PEERS conference, and submitted for peer-review with the TAPPI Journal. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
An improvement in kraft pulp properties of hybrid poplar was observed due to the effect of blending corn stover arabinoxylan into the pulp mix. Alkaline-extracted corn stover liquor, rich in the hemicellulose arabinoxylan (AX), was concentrated using tangential-flow ultrafiltration membranes with a 10 kDa molecular weight cutoff (MWCO). The AX extract was concentrated almost two-and-a-half-fold, as measured by characterizing its xylan content, the principal sugar in AX. Optimum conditions for the kraft cook blending amounts were determined by conducting small-scale 30g cooks with the addition of synthetic AX, up to 20%. These conditions were then replicated using corn stover-derived AX at a 20% blend, and performed both in the small and large-scale conditions. Tensile strength studies on handsheets cast from the pulp showed a marked improvement in pulp strength at low refining speed, that grew narrower at higher refining speeds. The project allowed for the investigation of the effects of blending kraft pulp with concentrated corn stover arabinoxylan, thereby valorizing an under-utilized resource. The study shows that the quality of hardwood pulp as derived from feedstock such as hybrid poplar can be improved by incorporating corn stover hemicellulose during the pulping process. This finding gives further credence towards the development of a pulp-based biorefinery that integrates utilization of agricultural residues for improved pulp properties.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Anurag Mandalika and Troy Runge. Addition of Biomass Hemicellulose into Hardwood Pulps to Improve Properties, 2016 Pulping, Engineering, Environmental, Recycling, Sustainability (PEERS) Conference Proceedings. Jacksonville, FL. September 27, 2016
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Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One graduate student is being trained. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the final year, we will complete the pulping experiments with the corn stover extracts and publish the results.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Screening Experiments for Hemicelluloses extraction from corn stover: The extraction of hemicellulose sugars from corn stover was proposed to be carried out in an alkaline environment, so as to extract longer-chain hemicellulose sugars into the solution, instead of primarily monomeric sugars that is the characteristic of acid extraction methods. Dried and baled stover (~240 lb) composed primarily of stalk and very little cob was sourced from another research group for performing the screening, optimization and large-scale extraction experiments. A screening study (L9 Taguchi using JMP) was conducted to identify the most prominent variables involved in the extraction of the hemicellulose sugars from corn stover, with maximization of pentose sugars and minimization of hexoses set as the conditions. The variables involved in the screening were: time, temperature and concentration of the base (sodium hydroxide). The liquors from the extractions were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) via a two-step acid hydrolysis method that allows for the estimation of total sugars in solution in both the monomeric and oligomeric forms. The results are currently being analyzed, and these will be utilized to fit to the screening model to identify the most important factors. The extracted solids have been washed and neutralized, and will be sent to an external laboratory for digestibility studies. Additional experiments involving pressurized alkaline extractions are planned using a Dionex Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE-350). This will shed light on the effect of pressure on extraction time and yield. Pulping Experiments: Progress on this section of the proposal has been focused on the construction of five stainless steel pressure reactors to accomplish pulping with in an oil bath. The reactors have been built and successfully tested to accomplish kraft pulping of poplar wood.
Publications
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