ABSTRACT
Two biopolyol-based foams derived from banana leaves (BL) or stems (BS) were produced, and their compression mechanical behavior and 3D microstructure were characterized. Traditional compression and in situ tests were performed during 3D image acquisition using X-ray microtomography. A methodology of image acquisition, processing, and analysis was developed to discriminate the foam cells and measure their numbers, volumes, and shapes along with the compression steps. The two foams had similar compression behaviors, but the average cell volume was five times larger for the BS foam than the BL foam. It was also shown that the number of cells increased with increasing compression while the average cell volume decreased. Cell shapes were elongated and did not change with compression. A possible explanation for these characteristics was proposed based on the possibility of cell collapse. The developed methodology will facilitate a broader study of biopolyol-based foams intending to verify the possibility of using these foams as green alternatives to the typical petrol-based foams.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The development of technological routes to convert lignocellulosic biomass to liquid fuels requires an in-depth understanding of the cell wall architecture of substrates. Essential pretreatment processes are conducted to reduce biomass recalcitrance and usually increase the reactive surface area. Quantitative three-dimensional information about both bulk and surface structural features of substrates needs to be obtained to expand our knowledge of substrates. In this work, phase-contrast tomography (PCT) was used to gather information about the structure of a model lignocellulosic biomass (piassava fibers). RESULTS: The three-dimensional cellular organization of piassava fibers was characterized by PCT using synchrotron radiation. This technique enabled important physical features that describe the substrate piassava fibers to be visualized and quantified. The external surface area of a fiber and internal surface area of the pores in a fiber could be determined separately. More than 96% of the overall surface area available to enzymes was in the bulk substrate. The pore surface area and length exhibited a positive linear relationship, where the slope of this relationship depended on the plant tissue. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that PCT is a powerful tool for the three-dimensional characterization of the cell wall features related to biomass recalcitrance. Original and relevant quantitative information about the structural features of the analyzed material were obtained. The data obtained by PCT can be used to improve processing routes to efficiently convert biomass feedstock into sugars.
