Examination of lignocellulosic fibers for chemical, thermal, and separations properties: addressing thermo-chemical stability issues

Biomass materials are being investigated and utilized in an ever-widening sphere of industrial scale applications. As this realm of utilization expands, fundamental knowledge of potential feedstocks becomes paramount. This study was undertaken to observe the chemical composition and thermogravimetric behavior of one set of biomass materials. This set includes fibers or ground portions of: corn stover, corn hulls, soy stover, soybean hulls, switchgrass, fescue, and pine wood. Standard analytical methods were implemented for the fractional determination of the major chemical constituents comprising each material. These sample materials were also subjected to thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) both before and after hot water extraction. The appropriation of chemical species varied amongst the materials. However, the TGA results were nearly uniform for all materials tested within the profile of 25 to 300C. Hot water extracted materials demonstrated better thermal stability than did the native forms of biomass. Introduction: Bio-based or natural fiber-plastic composites have been the subject of some investigation for this group in recent years. One point of focus has been materials composed of thermoplastic polymers and natural fibers, traditionally wood fibers from pine species. Compounding is often achieved in a heated, screw conveyed extruder [1]. Under controlled conditions of heat and screw shear two dissimilar