Alkaline hydrogen peroxide delignification of three lignocellulosic biomass under atmospheric pressure

The study’s goal was to investigate the delignification characteristics using alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) under atmospheric pressure, intending it as a pre-treatment method for transforming low-value lignocellulosic biomass into high-performance structural materials. The lignocellulosic biomass used in this study were Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), Hyun aspen (Populus alba x glandulosa), and bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens), which are underutilized and low-value lignocellulosic biomass in Korea. The delignification conditions used were pH 11, liquor ratio 12.5, H2O2 (3 to 10%), temperature (25 to 100 °C), and time (1 to 24 h). Japanese cedar exhibited <30% delignification even under the most severe conditions. In contrast, Hyun aspen achieved more than double that level of delignification. However, reaching over 60% delignification was challenging. Bamboo was easily delignified, reaching approximately 80% delignification using similar conditions performed in Japanese cedar and Hyun aspen. These differences observed in AHP delignification among three species were likely to be primarily due to the structural differences and proportion of condensed units in lignin. Consequently, for Hyun aspen and bamboo, the AHP delignification process under atmospheric pressure was considered to be feasible as a pre-treatment method for high-performance structural materials.