TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of agave fiber delignification by means of microscopy techniques and image analysis
AU - Hernández-Hernández, Hilda M.
AU - Chanona-Pérez, Jorge J.
AU - Calderón-Domínguez, Georgina
AU - Perea-Flores, María J.
AU - Mendoza-Pérez, Jorge A.
AU - Vega, Alberto
AU - Ligero, Pablo
AU - Palacios-González, Eduardo
AU - Farrera-Rebollo, Reynold R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Microscopy Society of America 2014.
PY - 2014/4/11
Y1 - 2014/4/11
N2 - Recently, the use of different types of natural fibers to produce paper and textiles from agave plants has been proposed. Agave atrovirens can be a good source of cellulose and lignin; nevertheless, the microstructural changes that happen during delignification have scarcely been studied. The aim of this work was to study the microstructural changes that occur during the delignification of agave fibers by means of microscopy techniques and image analysis. The fibers of A. atrovirens were obtained from leaves using convective drying, milling, and sieving. Fibers were processed using the Acetosolv pulping method at different concentrations of acetic acid; increasing acid concentration promoted higher levels of delignification, structural damage, and the breakdown of fiber clumps. Delignification followed by spectrometric analysis and microstructural studies were carried out by light, confocal laser scanning and scanning electron microscopy and showed that the delignification process follows three stages: initial, bulk, and residual. Microscopy techniques and image analysis were efficient tools for microstructural characterization during delignification of agave fibers, allowing quantitative evaluation of the process and the development of linear prediction models. The data obtained integrated numerical and microstructural information that could be valuable for the study of pulping of lignocellulosic materials.
AB - Recently, the use of different types of natural fibers to produce paper and textiles from agave plants has been proposed. Agave atrovirens can be a good source of cellulose and lignin; nevertheless, the microstructural changes that happen during delignification have scarcely been studied. The aim of this work was to study the microstructural changes that occur during the delignification of agave fibers by means of microscopy techniques and image analysis. The fibers of A. atrovirens were obtained from leaves using convective drying, milling, and sieving. Fibers were processed using the Acetosolv pulping method at different concentrations of acetic acid; increasing acid concentration promoted higher levels of delignification, structural damage, and the breakdown of fiber clumps. Delignification followed by spectrometric analysis and microstructural studies were carried out by light, confocal laser scanning and scanning electron microscopy and showed that the delignification process follows three stages: initial, bulk, and residual. Microscopy techniques and image analysis were efficient tools for microstructural characterization during delignification of agave fibers, allowing quantitative evaluation of the process and the development of linear prediction models. The data obtained integrated numerical and microstructural information that could be valuable for the study of pulping of lignocellulosic materials.
KW - Acetosolv pulping
KW - agave waste
KW - confocal laser scanning
KW - scanning electron microscopy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84909987155&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1431927614012987
DO - 10.1017/S1431927614012987
M3 - Artículo
SN - 1431-9276
VL - 20
SP - 1436
EP - 1446
JO - Microscopy and Microanalysis
JF - Microscopy and Microanalysis
IS - 5
ER -