Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Mass Spectrometric Analysis Of Lignin Model Compounds: Fundamental Investigations Of Ionization And Supramolecular Interactions For Lignocellulosic Biomass Applications, Kimberly Dean

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lignocellulosic biomass is pivotal for the development of renewable energy sources and materials essential to mitigate the exploitation of fossil fuels causing climate change and environmental pollution issues. The conversion of biomass into fuel requires the hydrolysis of cellulose and a biproduct of this process is the isolation of millions of tons of lignin as biorefinery waste. Lignin is a complex high molecular weight polymer whose structure remains undefined and critically limits potential industrial applications of lignocellulosic biomass. The advancement of analytical methods for structural elucidation of lignin and its ensemble of phenolic compounds is therefore essential to advance this …

Applications Of Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry And Capillary Electrophoresis For The Analysis Of Lignocellulosic Biomass Pretreatment, Dawn M. Kato

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The focus of this dissertation centers on the development and applications of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis methodologies to quantify monomeric compositions of the β-O-4 linkages in lignin. Pretreatment is a required step in the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuels. Lignin is the target of pretreatment because it hinders the accessibility of enzymes and chemicals to cellulose. The effects of pretreatment are commonly assessed utilizing enzymatic saccharification and lignin assays. However, these techniques do not elucidate the effects of pretreatment on the monomeric make up of lignin.

The overarching hypothesis of this dissertation is that changes in individual …