Succinic acid pretreatment of corn cob for production of xylooligosaccharides and biomass pellets

IF 5.8 2区生物学 Q1 AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

Biomass & Bioenergy Pub Date : 2025-10-16 DOI:10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.108461

Zhenchang Wang , Yuejie Qiu , Youhong Fu , Dehua Li , Jiahao Zhuang , Jianxin Jiang

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Abstract

The comprehensive utilization of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is crucial for advancing the circular bioeconomy. This study proposes a green biorefinery method based on succinic acid (SA) hydrothermal pretreatment of corncob (CC) to produce xylooligosaccharides (XOS) and biomass pellet fuel for complete biomass utilization. Under optimal pretreatment conditions (150 °C, 40 min, 0.3 M SA), 52.86 % XOS was achieved with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 2–5. Compared to raw CC, the content of cellulose and lignin in the pretreatment residue increased by 27.6 % and 25.5 %, respectively. This compositional change would improve the pellet performance. Lignin acts as a natural binder in biomass pelletizing. Under thermal compression, it softens and bonds, filling the gaps between particles. Simultaneously, it connects cellulose microcrystals through van der Waals forces. Furthermore, the increased crystalline cellulose facilitated mechanical stress dissipation through nanofiber alignment, thereby enhancing pellet density and mechanical strength. Under the pelletizing conditions (80 MPa, 100 °C, 12 % moisture), pellets prepared from pretreated residues showed an 11.99 % increase in density, a 155.78 % rise in compressive strength, a 16.43 % gain in higher heating value (HHV), and a 37.66 % reduction in ash content. The mechanical strength and thermal properties of biomass pellets derived from CC pretreated with SA were significantly enhanced. This environmentally friendly and mild acid pretreatment approach provides an innovative pathway for the efficient, closed-loop utilization of LCB.

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琥珀酸预处理玉米芯用于生产低聚木糖和生物质颗粒

木质纤维素生物质的综合利用是推进循环生物经济的关键。本研究提出了一种基于琥珀酸（SA）水热预处理玉米芯（CC）生产低聚木糖（XOS）和生物质颗粒燃料的绿色生物精制方法，以实现生物质的完全利用。在最佳预处理条件（150°C, 40 min, 0.3 M SA）下，聚合度（DP）为2-5，XOS率为52.86%。与粗CC相比，预处理残渣中纤维素和木质素的含量分别提高了27.6%和25.5%。这种成分的改变将提高颗粒的性能。木质素在生物质造粒中起天然粘合剂的作用。在热压缩下，它软化并结合，填充粒子之间的空隙。同时，它通过范德华力连接纤维素微晶体。此外，增加的结晶纤维素促进了纳米纤维排列的机械应力消散，从而提高了颗粒的密度和机械强度。在80 MPa、100℃、12%水分条件下，预处理后的残渣制粒密度提高11.99%，抗压强度提高155.78%，高热值（HHV）提高16.43%，灰分含量降低37.66%。经SA预处理的CC生物质球团的机械强度和热性能显著提高。这种环境友好且温和的酸预处理方法为高效闭环利用LCB提供了一条创新途径。

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来源期刊

Biomass & Bioenergy 工程技术-能源与燃料

CiteScore

11.50

自引率

3.30%

发文量

258

审稿时长

60 days

期刊介绍： Biomass & Bioenergy is an international journal publishing original research papers and short communications, review articles and case studies on biological resources, chemical and biological processes, and biomass products for new renewable sources of energy and materials. The scope of the journal extends to the environmental, management and economic aspects of biomass and bioenergy. Key areas covered by the journal: • Biomass: sources, energy crop production processes, genetic improvements, composition. Please note that research on these biomass subjects must be linked directly to bioenergy generation. • Biological Residues: residues/rests from agricultural production, forestry and plantations (palm, sugar etc), processing industries, and municipal sources (MSW). Papers on the use of biomass residues through innovative processes/technological novelty and/or consideration of feedstock/system sustainability (or unsustainability) are welcomed. However waste treatment processes and pollution control or mitigation which are only tangentially related to bioenergy are not in the scope of the journal, as they are more suited to publications in the environmental arena. Papers that describe conventional waste streams (ie well described in existing literature) that do not empirically address ''new'' added value from the process are not suitable for submission to the journal. • Bioenergy Processes: fermentations, thermochemical conversions, liquid and gaseous fuels, and petrochemical substitutes • Bioenergy Utilization: direct combustion, gasification, electricity production, chemical processes, and by-product remediation • Biomass and the Environment: carbon cycle, the net energy efficiency of bioenergy systems, assessment of sustainability, and biodiversity issues.