One-step separation of reaction extraction of corncob fiber components under atmospheric pressure

Corncob is a renewable agricultural solid waste and the majority of fiber hemicellulose in corncob is used in furfural production, thus many other components are wasted. This study used an alcohol-acid-water mixing system together with single-factor tests and orthogonal tests to analyze and optimize component separation. The results show that the following condition can be used to obtain maximum separation: liquid-solid ratio of 9, reaction time of 4 h, organic solvent volume fraction of 60% and sulfuric acid volume fraction of 4%.The preservation rate of cellulose is 91.81% under this condition, and the hydrolysis rate of hemicellulose is 93.49% with lignin removal rate of 57.37%.This system can achieve a better separation of corncob fiber components without high temperature and high pressure, and the organic solvent can be recycled. ©, 2015, Zhejiang University. All right reserved.