Chemical composition of lignocellulosic biomass in the wood of Abies religiosa across an altitudinal gradient

Abstract

Tree adaptation to environment has been extensively studied. However, little is known about the variations in structure and chemical composition of lignocellulosic biomass (LB) in relation to altitudinal gradient. We wonder, are there significant variations in the LB in the wood across an altitudinal gradient? To answer this, we carried out a study of Abies religiosa. Wood samples were collected from 36 trees, grown between 3000 and 3500 masl, and then subjected to gravimetric and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectroscopic analyses. The gravimetric results showed a proportion of 54.81 ± 2.20 % cellulose, 12.37 ± 1.33 % hemicellulose and 24.68 ± 1.16 % of insoluble lignin. Using the principal components analysis with analysis of variance (ANOVA), significant differences were found at 3100 and 3200 masl in two independent components related to both hemicellulose and lignin, through gravimetry as well as the spectroscopic bands assigned to the carbonyl groups of these polymers, respectively. However, the observed changes in chemical composition of LB did not follow a linear relationship with respect to the altitudinal gradient, which suggests that complex environmental interactions could also be playing an important role. Also, there were significant differences (p \ 0.05) in two of the empirical indexes calculated from the FTIR analysis.

Exploitation of Wood Waste of Pinus spp for Briquette Production: A Case Study in the Community of San Francisco Pichátaro, Michoacán, Mexico

“…Since lignin is the main structural element for generating energy, our study obtained an average similar to other reports for species of the genus Pinus spp., which indicate a figure of 24.59% for lignin [68,69]. Published studies mention hemicellulose and cellulose values of 12.37% and 54.81%, respectively, for the species Abies Religiosa, giving a total of 67.18% of holocellulose, and an average lignin content of 24.68% [50]. These results indicate the potential of the materials suggested in this study for exploitation as sources of bioenergy.…”

“…In the analysis of the chemical composition of wood (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin), it was analyzed using an ANKOM device with 200 fibers [49], (Laboratory of the INECOL, México). Following the method used in other investigations [50].…”

Wheat straw, corn stover, sugarcane, and Agave biomasses: chemical properties, availability, and cellulosic‐bioethanol production potential in Mexico

“…A sieved fraction smaller than 0.2 mm was used to determine the C distribution and to identify C functional groups and the cellulose crystallinity index by 13 C solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) (Table S2 in the supporting information) . Changes in molecular bonds related to compositional changes were identified by attenuated total reflectance Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR) (Table S3 in the supporting information) …”

Bioprospección modulada por la fenología, el sexo y el gradiente altitudinal: el caso de Baccharis conferta sobre Myrothecium roridum y Alternaria solani

“…A. Gray (Santacoloma-Varón & Granados 2010) así como en la estructura y composición química de Abies religiosa (Musule et al 2016).…”

“…La fenología está estrechamente relacionada con los factores abióticos y bióticos. Se han realizado estudios que asocian la altitud y la fenología de plantas en regiones montañosas, los cuales señalan cambios en la fenología reproductiva (Ziello et al 2009) y en la composición química de la madera de especies arbóreas (Musule et al 2016). Por ejemplo, en algunas especies arbustivas, se ha observado asincronía en la floración relacionada con la altitud (y ésta con la temperatura y la precipitación), ya sea que ocurra primero en las zonas más bajas que en las altas o viceversa, como ocurre en Erica arborea L. y Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull, respectivamente (Vera 1995).…”