Hansen Solubility Parameters: A Tool for Solvent Selection for Organosolv Delignification

The high polysaccharide content of sugar cane bagasse associated with its availability makes it a promising source of fermentable sugars for the production of second-generation ethanol. In this context, the separation the macro components in the cell walls of sugar cane bagasse can be performed by organosolv processes. This research was carried out to study the effect of the solvents on the organosolv delignification of sugar cane bagasse by using Hansen's solubility parameters. Thus, a new and optimized sphere of solubility for sugar cane bagasse lignin was determined, with δD = 21.42 MPa1/2, δP = 8.57 MPa1/2, δH = 21.80 MPa1/2 and Ro = 13.56. It was observed that this new lignin sphere of solubility allowed a linear correlation between the solvent/solute distance and the delignification extent data (linear regression coefficient of 0.93856). These results indicate that the Hansen solubility parameters can be used as a tool for choosing the solvent for an effective delignification of lignocellulosic raw materials.