Plant Cell Wall Chemical Characterization

Lignocellulosic Biomass Compositional Analysis

LORRE has the facilities, equipment, and expertise to analyze plant cell wall material for chemical composition using the NREL Laboratory Analytical Procedures (LAP’s) for glucan, xylan, arabinan, acetyl, lignin, ash, etc. In addition, through Purdue University campus facilities, samples can be analyzed for elemental composition (C, N, P, K, etc.). These analyses are important for assessing the chemical make-up of plant biomass and for conducting material balances around biochemical and thermochemical processing of plant biomass.

Equipment:

Forced Convection Oven: Lindberg/Blue forced convection oven (1.5 cu ft) for sample drying and acid depolymerization reactions.
Microcentrifuge: Eppendorf 541JD microcentrifuge.
Analytical Balances: Mettler Toledo AB1004-S or equivalent analytical balance accurate to +/- 0.1 mg.
Scanning Spectrophotometer: ThermoSpectronic Genesys6 scanning UV/Vis scanning spectrophotometer.
pH Meter: IQ Scientific Instruments pH meter.
Autoclave for acid catalyzed plant polysaccharides depolymerization reactions
High temperature ashing furnace
Soxhlet extraction system.