Abstract
Replacing fossil-based resources with renewable alternatives is generally acknowledged as a critical component to address several of today's environmental concerns. In this context, lignocellulosic biomass is an attractive, sustainable resource. However, the constitutional biopolymers of interest are locked in the structural complexity of the plant cell walls, which defines their properties and contributes to fractionation recalcitrance. One of the key suspects restricting fractionation of the biopolymers in high yield is the presence of lignin-carbohydrate bonds forming a matrix referred to as lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC). Nevertheless, covalent bonds between lignin and carbohydrates, remain one of the most controversial topics in lignocellulose chemistry. This challenge can be attributed to the slow progress made in their research, which also forms the basis for this review. Herein, we will critically discuss the literature with a particular focus on the latest characterization and analytical techniques. Discussions on existing techniques and, importantly the drawbacks with them should be compelling to researchers in the area, especially at this time when crucial issues surrounding the realization of biorefineries need to be addressed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1573-1595 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Green Chemistry |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2019 |
Funding
A part of this study was supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation which is gratefully acknowledged for financial support to the Wallenberg Wood Science Center. In addition, this study was partially supported by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. This study was supported and performed as part of the Center for BioEnergy Innovation (CBI). CBI is the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the DOE Office of Science. The views and opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represent that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. The publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy. gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Energy | |
| Office of Science | |
| Biological and Environmental Research | |
| UT-Battelle | DE-AC05-00OR22725 |
| Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse | |
| Wallenberg Wood Science Center |