Extraction and modification of hemicellulose from lignocellulosic biomass: A review

Hemicellulose is a carbohydrate biopolymer second only to cellulose, which is rich and has a broad application prospect. The limitation of high-value utiliza-tion of hemicellulose has been a long-standing challenge due to its complex and diversified structure. The extrac-tion and subsequent modification of hemicellulose from lignocellulosic biomass represent a promising pathway toward this goal. Herein, the extraction processes including physical pretreatment, chemical pretreatment, and com-bined pretreatment for separating hemicellulose from ligno-cellulosic biomass were introduced, and the advantages and disadvantages of various extraction procedures were also described. The chemical modification of hemicellulose such as etherification, esterification, grafting, and cross-linking modification was reviewed in detail. The separation and modification of hemicellulose in the future are pros-pected based on the earlier studies.

Automated summary

Hemicellulose, a carbohydrate biopolymer second only to cellulose, faces challenges in high-value utilization. The extraction and modification processes are crucial, involving physical, chemical, and combined pretreatments; further development of chemical modification techniques is expected in the future.