Abstract
Lignocellulosic materials present the largest source of biomass for biotechnology and green energy. This study aimed at better understanding the cell wall disintegration mechanisms relevant for the biochemical conversion of biomass to carbohydrates. Herein, we examined nanoscale changes in cell wall structure and composition upon industrially relevant chemical and enzymatic treatments to achieve the desired level of breakdown. One treatment involved hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid to remove lignin. Another modification used the cellulase enzyme for cell wall degradation. Band excitation contact resonance atomic force microscopy was used to visualize and mechanically characterize cell wall layers. After cellulase treatments, we detected microcracks across the cell wall. Wet-chemical, Fourier-transform infrared and Raman spectroscopic analyses confirmed the removal of lignin and extractives through acid bleaching, while the enzymatic treatment minimally affected the biopolymer composition. Delignification resulted in cell wall delamination and reduced stiffness. X-ray diffraction revealed changes in cellulose structure and crystallinity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 8630-8640 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Biomacromolecules |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 8 2025 |
Funding
SS acknowledges support by a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) fellowship. Advanced AFM studies were conducted as part of the user project CNMS2023-B-02186 at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), which is a US Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We acknowledge chemical-technical assistants Claudia Strobel and Snežana Šajkaš Sajdl at TU Munich for performing chemical analyses of wood samples. The acquisition of an X-ray diffractometer was supported by a Department of Defense instrumentation grant (W911NF2410280) to V.M.