Plant Biomass project works Tapani Vuorinen

Project work topics Bamboo Cotton Macroalgae Maize Sugarcane Wheat Wood (all species?) All: possible focus on certain geographical region, focus in non-food uses and non-edible parts

Reports on plant biomass sources Crops –Availability/production, productivity, sustainability Characteristics –Chemical composition, physical structure, morphology Current uses –Significance, competition with other crops and resources Potential new uses Refining –Processes, processability, integration Check also:

Chemical composition Ash = inorganic components –Overall content –Composition - may affect processability of the biomass Extractives = substances extractable with neutral solvents = non-cell wall substances –Content - solvent used must be mentioned –Composition by groups, e.g. fats, waxes, sterols, phenols, sugars, etc. Lignin –Content (Klason + acid soluble) –Structure (relative amounts of H, G and S units and/or methoxyl content, phenolic group content, DP or MW)

Chemical composition Holocellulose content Cellulose content Hemicelluloses –Content by type (xylan, xyloglucan, glucomannan, galactan, etc.) –Any possible information on structural features by type (monomer composition, substituents, linkage/substitution pattern, DP) Pectins = pectic substances –Content Others –Specified depending on the biomass Search also:

Physical structure and morphology Important anatomical parts –Fraction by weight and/or volume (e.g. roots, stem, leaves or branches, bark, grains/cob) –Tissue structure and cell types by voulume/weight –Fibers Average length, width and cell wall thickness Average fibril angle

Example: Sugarcane as a biomass source in South America Sugarcane crops in South America –Production, productivity, sustainability Characteristics of sugarcane –Chemical composition, physical structure, morphology Current uses of sugarcane and bagasse –Significance, competition with other crops and resources Potential new uses of sugarcane Processing of sugarcane –Processes, processability, integration