Fourier transform infrared quantitative analysis of sugars and lignin in pretreated softwood solid residues

Hydrolysates were obtained from dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment of whole-tree softwood forest thinnings and softwood sawdust. Mid-infrared (IR) spectra were obtained on sample sets of wet washed hydrolysates, and 45 degrees C vacuum-dried washed hydrolysates, using a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer equipped with a diamond-composite attenuated total reflectance (ATR) cell. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis of spectra from each sample set was performed. Regression analyses for sugar components and lignin were generated using results obtained from standard wet chemical and high-performance liquid chromatography methods. The correlation coefficients of the predicted and measured values were >0.9. The root mean square standard error of the estimate for each component in the residues was generally within 2 wt% of the measured value except where reported in the tables. The PLS regression analysis of the wet washed solids was similar to the PLS regression analysis on the 45 degrees C vacuum-dried sample set. The FTIR-ATR technique allows mid-IR spectra to be obtained in a few minutes from wet washed or dried washed pretreated biomass solids. The prediction of the solids composition of an unknown washed pretreated solid is very rapid once the PLS method has been calibrated with known standard solid residues.