Carbohydrate composition in solid materials (ground wood, different pulps, straw, spelts)

Team leader: Bjarne Holmbom (University of åbo Akademi University, Finland)

Abstract:
The following five wood, pulp and cereal materials have been studied:
1. Oat spelt
2. Wheat straw
3. Spruce thermo-mechanical pulp
4. Aspen wood
5. Birch kraft pulp (bleached by ECF sequence)

The following analyses have been performed:
Acid methanolysis and GC analysis (each sample with 5 parallel analyses, GC on two different columns)
GC analysis of acid hydrolysates
Acid hydrolysis and HPLC analysis (3 parallel hydrolyses, 5 parallel analyses)
HPLC of acid methanolysates
Acid hydrolysis and HPLC analysis (HPLC both own hydrolysates and hydrolysates)
HPLC of acid methanolysates
Enzymatic hydrolysis and HPLC analysis (only sample 5)
Capillary electrophoresis analysis of acid hydrolysates (only one analysis per sample)


Objectives:
The objective is to produce detailed protocols for the above described analyses which are required in all research on polysaccharide materials. The work started in April 2006 and will be finished in April 2007.
The analytical techniques to be established are required in research both on Dis-assembly and Re-assembly of PS, especially in Fundamental Theme 2 and Fundamental Theme 5

Importance for EPNOE community and industrial partners:
This is of fundamental importance in research and production of all kind of polysaccharide materials.

Importance for the characterisation of the polysaccharide raw materials:
Monosaccharide amount and composition is the most essential chemical information for polysaccharide preparates

Importance for the characterisation of polysaccharide processability:
When polysaccharides are processed further by various purification and precipitation techniques these analyses are needed to monitor the various process steps

Applicability to the different kind of polysaccharides:
Essentially all polysaccharide -containing solid materials, including e.g. cellulose, various hemicelluloses, pectins and starch.

Potentiality to transform them into marketable products:
Generally, analytical techniques and procedures are essential research tools, not marketable products