Open AccessStructural and Chemical Characterization of Hardwood from Tree Species with Applications as Bioenergy Feedstocks
Author(s) -
Oezguel Persil Cetinkol,
Andreia M. Smith-Moritz,
Gang Cheng,
Jeemeng Lao,
Anthe George,
Kunlun Hong,
Robert J. Henry,
Blake A. Simmons,
Joshua L. Heazlewood,
Bradley M. Holmes
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0052820
Subject(s) - acacia mangium , biorefinery , hardwood , eucalyptus globulus , bioenergy , biofuel , pulp (tooth) , pulp and paper industry , magnoliaceae , chemical composition , eucalyptus , environmental science , pulpwood , lignin , botany , biology , agroforestry , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , engineering , medicine , organic chemistry , pathology
Eucalypt species are a group of flowering trees widely used in pulp production for paper manufacture. For several decades, the wood pulp industry has focused research and development efforts on improving yields, growth rates and pulp quality through breeding and the genetic improvement of key tree species. Recently, this focus has shifted from the production of high quality pulps to the investigation of the use of eucalypts as feedstocks for biofuel production. Here the structure and chemical composition of the heartwood and sapwood of Eucalyptus dunnii, E. globulus, E. pillularis, E. urophylla, an E. urophylla-E. grandis cross, Corymbia citriodora ssp. variegata , and Acacia mangium were compared using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and biochemical composition analysis. Some trends relating to these compositions were also identified by Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy. These results will serve as a foundation for a more comprehensive database of wood properties that will help develop criteria for the selection of tree species for use as biorefinery feedstocks.