Fractionation of Wheat Straw by Steam-Explosion Pretreatment and Alkali Delignification. Cellulose Pulp and Byproducts from Hemicellulose and Lignin

The fractionation of wheat straw was studied using a two-stage process based on an hydrolytic pretreatment followed by alkali delignification. The hydrolytic pretreatment was performed by steam explosion. Straw was steamed at temperatures comprised between 205 and 230°C for 2 min. The steamed straw was washed with hot water to yield a solution rich in hemicellulose-derived mono- and oligosaccharides. The washed fiber was delignified by alkali at 160°C for 60 min using a NaOH load of 20%. The alkali-soluble lignin was recovered by filtration after acidification of the black liquor. The delignified pulp was screened and bleached to produce viscose-grade cellulose. The optimization of the pretreatment conditions led to the following results at a pretreatment severity of log(R0) = 3.80: yield of viscose-grade cellulose = 70% of the potential; lignin recovery = 70% of the Klason lignin present in the untreated straw; hemicellulose sugars = 55% of the potential, recovered as molasses.