Thermal behavior of corn fibers and corn fiber gums prepared in fiber processing to ethanol

• Published in: Journal of analytical and applied pyrolysis 2009-05, Vol.85 (1), p.11-18
• Main Authors: Mészáros, E., Jakab, E., Gáspár, M., Réczey, K., Várhegyi, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biorefinery; Corn fiber; Ethanol fermentation; Pyrolysis; Thermal analysis
• ISSN: 0165-2370; 1873-250X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2008.10.004

In this work, a thorough study of all solid products obtained in corn fiber processing to ethanol has been carried out with thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry (TG/MS) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The thermal behavior of corn fiber, destarched corn fiber, various alkali pretreated fibers and corn fiber gums were compared. It has been established that no significant changes occur in the thermal behavior of the feedstock material as a result of treatment with amylolytic enzymes. On one hand only the concentration of the alkali (NaOH or KOH) seems to be important in determining the chemical composition of the pretreated corn fiber samples. On the other hand, the composition of the corn fiber gums depends on the type and not the concentration of the alkali used in the pretreatment step. The presence of H 2O 2 degrades the structure and alters the composition of the corn fiber to a larger extent. The polymeric hemicellulose which is precipitated after pretreatment with NaOH + H 2O 2 contains less impurities than the corn fiber gum prepared in the absence of hydrogen peroxide. The results indicate that the applied analytical methods are suitable for studying changes in the composition of the variously treated corn fibers. The observed effects of the treatments are in good agreement with data determined with conventional analytical techniques.