LIGNOCELLULOSE BIOMASS

Plant biomass consists mainly of three polymers: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin – together these are
called lignocellulose, along with smaller amounts of pectin, protein, extractives and ash. The
composition of these constituents can vary from one plant species to another. Hardwoods for example
have greater amounts of cellulose, whereas wheat straw and leaves have more hemicellulose (Table 2.1).

Lignocellulose refers to plant dry matter or inedible parts of the plant biomass, so called lignocellulosic
biomass. It is the most abundantly available raw material on the Earth for the production of biofuels,
mainly bio-ethanol. It is composed of two carbohydrate polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose), and an
aromatic polymer (lignin). These carbohydrate polymers contain different sugar monomers (six and
five carbon sugars) and they are tightly bound to lignin. These polymers are associated with each other in
a hetero-matrix to different degrees and varying relative composition depending on the type, species, and
even source of the biomass. The relative abundance of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are inter alia,
key factors in determining the optimum energy.

Types of lignocellulose biomass

Lignocellulosic biomass can be broadly classified into three types: virgin biomass, waste biomass and
energy crops.

I. Virgin biomass includes all naturally occurring terrestrial plants such as trees, bushes and grass.
II. Waste biomass is produced as a low value byproduct of various industrial sectors such
as agriculture (corn stover, sugarcane bagasse, straw etc.) and forestry (saw mill and paper
mill discards).
III. Energy crops are crops with high yield of lignocellulosic biomass produced to serve as a raw
material for production of second generation biofuel; examples include switch grass (Panicum
virgatum) and Elephant grass.
Structure of lignocellulose

The main component of

lignocellulose is cellulose,
hemicellulose and lignin.

 Cellulose- , a beta (1–4)-

linked chain of glucose
molecules. Hydrogen bonds
between different layers of
the polysaccharides
contribute to the resistance
of crystalline cellulose to
degradation.
 Hemicellulose, the second
most abundant component of
lignocellulose, is composed
of various 5- and 6-carbon
sugars such as arabinose,
galactose, glucose, mannose
and xylose.
 Lignin is composed of three
major phenolic components,
namely p-coumaryl alcohol
(H), coniferyl alcohol (G) and sinapyl alcohol (S). Lignin is synthesized by polymerization of these
components and their ratio within the polymer varies between different plants, wood tissues and cell
wall layers. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin form structures called microfibrils, which are
organized into macrofibrils that mediate structural stability in the plant cell wall.