Low-Molecular-Weight Phenols Recovery by Eco-Friendly Extraction from Quercus Spp. Wastes: An Analytical and Biomass-Sustainability Evaluation

Abstract

In this work, chemical–physical protocols aimed at the implementation of eco-friendly and biomass-sustainable recovery processes of useful compounds from forestry and/or wood industry wastes were evaluated. Four species of interest in industrial and environmental fields (Quercus cerris, Quercus ilex, and Robinia pseudoacacia from Central Italy, Quercus petraea from France) were submitted to neutral extraction and analyzed by gaschromatography, with mass spectrometry identification of low-molecular-weight phenols. Moreover, Quercus petraea heartwood samples were submitted to three extraction/hydrolysis protocols in an alkaline environment, and the byproducts from the lignin degradation were identified and evaluated. The recovery of bioactive phenols from forestry wastes by applying eco-friendly extractive protocols may reveal a precious strategy for rethinking the management of such wastes, in line with the fundamentals of “circular economy”.