BACKGROUND The effectiveness of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose in plant cell wall is strongly influenced by the access of enzymes to cellulose, which is at least in part limited by the presence of lignin. Although physicochemical treatments preceding the enzymatic catalysis significantly overcome this recalcitrance, the residual lignin can still play a role in the process. Lignin is sugg...

Lignin is a major component of the secondary cell walls of vascular plants, and an obstacle in the conversion of plant cell wall polysaccharides into biofuels. Erianthus spp. are large gramineous plants of interest as potential energy sources. However, lignocelluloses of Erianthus spp. have not been chemically characterized. In this study, we analysed lignins, related compounds, enzymatic sacch...

Experiments were undertaken to investigate some of the mechanisms that may function to regulate lignin biosynthesis (lignification) in Arabidopsis thaliana. Northern blot analyses revealed that several genes encoding enzymes involved in the synthesis of lignin monomers displayed significant changes in transcript abundance over a diurnal cycle. Northern blot analysis also suggested that some of ...

A challenge in recent years has been the rational use of forest and agriculture residues for the production of bio-fuel, biochemical, and other bioproducts. In this study, potentially useful compounds from pyrolytic lignins were identified by HPLC-MS/MS and untargeted metabolomics. The metabolites identified were 2-(4-allyl-2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1-propanol, benzyl benz...

The use of 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane as a phosphitylation reagent in quantitative 31P NMR analysis of the hydroxyl groups in lignins has been thoroughly examined, and an experimental protocol recommended for spectra acquisition has been developed. Quantitative analysis of six “standard lignins” gave results comparable to those obtained by other methods of analysis. Exc...

The molecular composition of water-soluble lignins isolated from four non-food bioenergy crops (cardoon CAR, eucalyptus EUC, and two black poplars RIP and LIM) was characterized in detail, and their potential bioactivity towards maize germination and early growth evaluated. Lignins were found to not affect seed germination rates, but stimulated the maize seedling development, though to a differ...

Studies of lignin structure and reactivity have been re-energized by the emergence of modern technologies, new analytical methods, and by exciting recent findings. The structural aspects which were considered complex but well understood some years back have seen revisions that add to the complexity in some ways but are clarified by the logical chemistry in others. One of the most significant re...

Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was performed on milled wood lignins (MWLs) and wood samples. Among the major pyrolysis products identified from loblolly pine lignin were guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, 4-vinylguaiacol, vanillin, coniferal­ dehyde, and coniferyl alcohol. White oak lignin pyrolysis products also included guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, and vanillin and addi­ tionally 2,6-...