SEPARATION AND ISOLATION OF SUGAR SOLUTION FROM LIGNIN

The cellulose and hemicellulose are cemented together by lignin. Lignin is responsible for integrity,
structural rigidity, and prevention of swelling of lignocelluloses. Thus, lignin content and distribution
constitute the most recognized factor which is responsible for recalcitrance of lignocellulosic materials
to enzymatic degradation by limiting the enzyme accessibility; therefore, the delignification processes
can improve the rate and extent of enzymatic hydrolysis.

Extraction of lignin from the liquor can be carried out using a mixture of formic acid/acetic acid/water
for pulping with the main objective of degrading the lignin molecules by dissolving them in the solution
and consequently retrieving by washing them.

Organosolv (acetic acid/formic acid) cleaves ether bonds between lignin and hemicellulose, thereby
accelerating the delignification process

The process of lignin extraction from the biomass can be achieved by first pulping, where the biomass is
first cut into small size and placed in a conical flask

A mixture of 85% organic acid (with a ratio of formic acid/acetic acid mixture of 70:30 by volume) is
added to the biomass in the flask and allowed to boil for 2 h. After 2 h, flask and its content are allowed
to cool to ambient temperature.

The lignin dissolved in formic acid is then precipitated by adding distilled water (5 times more than
volume of concentrated liquor) and the precipitate filtered in a Buchner funnel. Finally, the precipitated
lignin is isolated from the liquor