Structural characteristics of milled wood lignin (MWL) isolated from green liquor (GL) pretreated poplar (Populus deltoides)

Abstract

Abstract Pretreatment is one of the key steps for the utilization of lignocellulosic biomasses via biorefinery. Green liquor (GL) pretreatment has been considered as an effective approach to improve the subsequent enzymatic saccharification. For the better understanding of the structural changes of lignin in GL pretreatment, milled wood lignin (MWL) samples isolated from untreated and GL-pretreated poplar by the Björkman method were characterized by means of gel permeation chromatography (GPC), alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation (NBO), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and quantitative 13C and 2D heteronuclear single quantum coherence nuclear magnetic resonance (HSQC NMR). The results indicate that the average molecular weight of MWLs decreased after GL pretreatment. Surprisingly, more guaiacyl-propane units are extracted under mild alkaline conditions than syringyl-propane units, which results in a higher condensation degree and higher S/G ratios of MWLs isolated from GL-pretreated poplars. The amount of β–O–4 structures decreased, while the β–β and β-5 structures increased after GL pretreatment. The structure of esterified p-hydroxybenzoic acid was detected in poplar MWL sample and it degraded obviously after GL pretreatment.