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The current study was initiated to characterize various parts of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) to establish whole utilization of this biomass as potential raw material for fuels and chemicals.Nipa consisting of frond, shell, husk and leaf was chemically characterized for cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, starch, protein, extractives and inorganic constituents for its each part.The total chemical composition showed that the cellulose and hemicellulose contents were in the range of 28.9 to 45.6 wt% and 21.8 to 26.4 wt%, respectively. The hemicellulose was rich with glucuronoxylan. The lignin content was 19.4 to 33.8 wt% with the highest lignin content found in leaf. The alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation products showed that nipa palm lignin mainly consists of guaiacyl and syringyl propane units with a small amount of p-hydroxyphenylpropane unit. Besides the main chemical components, starch, protein and extractives were also present in a significant amount from 2 to 8 wt%. Additionally, the ash content as an inorganic constituent was high from 5.1 to 11.7 wt%, consisting of major inorganic elements of Na, K and Cl along with minor inorganic elements of Mg, Ca, Si, P, S and Al. Overall, each part of the nipa palm has its individual superior characteristics and could be exploited as lignocellulosic resources for fuels and chemicals.

The current study was initiated to evaluate the potential of sugar saps from nipa (Nypa fruticans) palm as sustainable feedstock for ethanol production. Nipa palms managed as plantations on four sites was chosen for this study with palms within 8 to 100 years of age. All palms studied were found to have the potential to produce sugar saps from 0.4 to 1.2 L d-1 per palm. Further chemical characterization of its saps gave a total composition of 159 to 214 g kg-1 mainly composed of sucrose, glucose and fructose. In addition, the elemental analysis gave 5 g kg-1 of inorganics with Na, K and Cl being its main inorganic elements. Preliminary batch fermentative assays using Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed that nipa saps can be converted to ethanol within 30 to 48 h in conditions with and without nutrient supplementation. Furthermore, the fermentation trends were similar to sugarcane sap with high ethanol conversions up to 96.9% and 95.5% achieved for both nutrient conditions. Further analysis on inorganic elements before and after fermentation showed that specific elements of Mg, Ca, P and S were significantly reduced and could have assisted the fermentation. Based on the results obtained from sap collection, chemical characterization and fermentation, the ethanol potential from nipa planted at a density of 1000 ha-1 would range from 4550-9100 L ha-1 y-1. Conclusively, nipa sap showed some interesting characteristics which makes it a potential feedstock for ethanol production.

Two-step hydrolysis of nipa (Nypa fruticans) frond, one of the monocotyledonous angiosperms, was studied in a semi-flow hot-compressed water treatment at 230°C/10 MPa/15 min (first stage) and 270°C/10 MPa/30 min (second stage). In the first stage, hemicelluloses such as O-acetyl-4-O-methylglucuronoarabinoxylan and pectin and para-crystalline cellulose were selectively hydrolyzed, as well as lignin, which was partially decomposed. In the second stage, hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose and some additional decomposition of lignin were observed. In addition, inorganic constituents and free sugars, composed mainly of glucose, fructose, and sucrose, were recovered in cold water (20°C/10 MPa/30 min) prior to these 2 stages. In total, 97.3% of oven-dried nipa frond sample could be solubilized into cold and hot-compressed water. The degradation products in the water-soluble portion were primarily recovered as various saccharides (hydrolyzed moieties of the polyoses), which were later dehydrated, fragmented and isomerized partly. The residual (2.7%) is composed mainly of lignin associated with 0.4% of Si. A decomposition pathway is proposed for O-acetyl-4-O-methylglucuronoarabinoxylan as the major hemicellulose based on its various hydrolyzed products.

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