Potential of Jerusalem Artichoke Stem for Cellulose Production

Abstract

There is a potential opportunity to convert almost any type of biomass into biofuel and bio- nanomaterials, if the appropriate biotechnological and chemical processing methods are used. The preference for this or that bioresource is due to the stability of the raw material base and the prospect of its use. Jerusalem artichoke stem (Helianthus tuberosus L.) (JA) is widely known as a potential non-food raw material for biofuels due to high biomass extraction (36–49 t/ha (tons per hectare)) and limited cultivation requirements. But little attention is given to study the possibility of using the stems to produce various kinds of cellulose. This article presents samples of cellulose that were obtained from the Jerusalem artichoke stem using mechanical and chemical methods. Cellulose yield from the stem was: cortex 51.1%, pith 65.2% with the α-cellulose content 96–98%. Methods of electron microscopy, atomic absorption, IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, BET for nitrogen adsorption, thermogravimetry were used to study the cortex and the pith of the Jerusalem artichoke stem. Analysis of the cellulose samples confirmed the possibility of obtaining high-quality cellulose.