Non‐thermal plasma as an efficient pretreatment to lignocellulosic raw materials

Abstract

Non‐thermal plasma is an ecologically correct technique that is increasingly being explored. In this work, plasma was applied as a delignification technique for different lignocellulosic residues (brewery, banana peel, and mango seed peel). The influence of non‐thermal plasma on the physical and chemical characteristics of the residues was also explored by the techniques scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x‐ray diffraction (XRD), and RAMAN spectroscopy. Delignification of approximately 48% was observed in 5 min of the process for the brewery by‐product, 35% the mango seed shell, and 24% the banana peel. Small changes in morphology (SEM), degradation temperature (DSC), compositional analysis (FTIR, XRD, and RAMAN) after pretreatment with non‐thermal plasma were observed. Thus, we bring unprecedented results using non‐thermal plasma as an alternative pretreatment for different lignocellulosic residues, indicating an attractive technique for subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis and thus obtaining added‐value products, such as bioethanol and xylooligosaccharides.