TY - JOUR
T1 - Spectroscopic and Microscopic Study of Peroxyformic Pulping of Agave Waste
AU - Hernández-Hernández, Hilda M.
AU - Chanona-Pérez, Jorge J.
AU - Vega, Alberto
AU - Ligero, Pablo
AU - Farrera-Rebollo, Reynold R.
AU - Mendoza-Pérez, Jorge A.
AU - Calderón-Domínguez, Georgina
AU - Vera, Norma Güemes
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Microscopy Society of America.
PY - 2016/10/1
Y1 - 2016/10/1
N2 - The peroxyformic process is based on the action of a carboxylic acid (mainly formic acid) and the corresponding peroxyacid. The influences of processing time (60-180 min), formic acid concentration (80-95%), temperature (60-80C), and hydrogen peroxide concentration (2-4%) on peroxyformic pulping of agave leaves were studied by surface response methodology using a face-centered factorial design. Empirical models were obtained for the prediction of yield, κ number (KN) and pulp viscosity as functions of the aforementioned variables. Mathematical optimization enabled us to select a set of operational variables that produced the best fractionation of the material with the following results: pulp yield (26.9%), KN (3.6), and pulp viscosity (777 mL/g). Furthermore, this work allowed the description and evaluation of changes to the agave fibers during the fractionation process using different microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, and provided a comprehensive and qualitative view of the phenomena occurring in the delignification of agave fibers. The use of confocal and scanning electron microscopy provided a detailed understanding of the microstructural changes to the lignin and cellulose in the fibers throughout the process, whereas Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that cellulose in the pulp after treatment was mainly of type I.
AB - The peroxyformic process is based on the action of a carboxylic acid (mainly formic acid) and the corresponding peroxyacid. The influences of processing time (60-180 min), formic acid concentration (80-95%), temperature (60-80C), and hydrogen peroxide concentration (2-4%) on peroxyformic pulping of agave leaves were studied by surface response methodology using a face-centered factorial design. Empirical models were obtained for the prediction of yield, κ number (KN) and pulp viscosity as functions of the aforementioned variables. Mathematical optimization enabled us to select a set of operational variables that produced the best fractionation of the material with the following results: pulp yield (26.9%), KN (3.6), and pulp viscosity (777 mL/g). Furthermore, this work allowed the description and evaluation of changes to the agave fibers during the fractionation process using different microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, and provided a comprehensive and qualitative view of the phenomena occurring in the delignification of agave fibers. The use of confocal and scanning electron microscopy provided a detailed understanding of the microstructural changes to the lignin and cellulose in the fibers throughout the process, whereas Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that cellulose in the pulp after treatment was mainly of type I.
KW - Raman spectroscopy
KW - agave fibers
KW - microscopy
KW - peroxyformic process
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84994157505&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1431927616011818
DO - 10.1017/S1431927616011818
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 27786154
SN - 1431-9276
VL - 22
SP - 1084
EP - 1097
JO - Microscopy and Microanalysis
JF - Microscopy and Microanalysis
IS - 5
ER -