Impact of prefiltration on membrane performance during isolation of hemicelluloses extracted from wheat bran

Impact of Lignin Content on the Properties of Hemicellulose Hydrogels

Hemicellulose is a promising renewable raw material for the production of hydrogels. This polysaccharide exists in large amounts in various waste streams, in which they are usually impure and heavily diluted. Several downstream processing methods can be combined to concentrate and purify the hemicellulose. However, such an approach can be costly; hence, the effect of impurities on the formation and properties of hydrogels must be determined. Lignin usually exists in these waste streams as a major impurity that is also difficult to separate. This compound can darken hydrogels and decrease their swellability and reactivity, as shown in many studies. Other properties and effects of lignin impurities are equally important for the end application of hydrogels and the overall process economy. In this work, we examined the feasibility of producing hydrogels from hemicelluloses that originated from sodium-based spent sulfite liquor. A combination of membrane filtration and anti-solvent precipitation was used to extract and purify various components. The influence of the purity of hemicellulose and the addition of lignosulfonates (emulated impurities in the downstream processing) to the crosslinking reaction mixture on the mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of hydrogels was determined.

Study of Separation and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes during Model Hydrolysate Solution Filtration

Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.