Journal
POLYMERS
Volume 14, Issue 5, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/polym14050930
Keywords
sunflower stalk; chemical composition; cell structure; cellulose nanofiber; nanofibrillation
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31770600, 32001381]
- Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Outstanding Young Scientific Research Talent Program Project [xjq20020]
- Department of Education of Fujian Province [JAT190129, JAT190131]
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Cell wall structure and chemical composition in plants have a significant impact on their utilization and conversion. This study compared the cell wall structure and composition of pith and rind from sunflower stalks, and correlated them with their nanofibrillation efficiency using ultrasonic treatment. The results showed that stalk pith was easier to fibrillate compared to the rind.
The structure and chemical composition of cell walls play a vital role in the bioconversion and utilization of plants. In the present study, the cell wall structure and chemical composition of pith and rind from sunflower stalks were compared and correlated to their nanofibrillation efficiency with ultrasonic treatment. Mild chemical pretreatment using 1% or 4% NaOH without any bleaching process were applied prior to ultrasonication nanofibrillation. Significant structural and chemical differences were demonstrated between the pith and rind, with the former exhibiting a much lower lignin and hemicellulose contents, higher pectin, much looser cell structure and higher cell wall porosity than the latter. Alkaline treatment alone was sufficient to eliminate most of the hemicellulose and pectin from stalk pith, whereas only partial removal of hemicellulose and lignin was achieved for the woody rind part. After 30 min of ultrasonic treatment, the stalk pith exhibited fully defibrillated fibrils with a continuous and entangled micro/nanofibrillated network, whereas numerous micron-sized fiber and fragments remained for the rind. The results indicated that stalk pith is less recalcitrant and easier to be fibrillated with ultrasonication than rind, which must be correlated to their distinct differences in both structure and chemical composition.
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