This study assesses low-field NMR T2 relaxation of water in unmodified and acetylated Pinus radiata earlywood samples at different stages of decay by the brown rot fungus, Rhodonia placenta. Increased cell wall water T2 relaxation indicates increased cell wall porosity as decay proceeds for unmodified samples. Acetylated samples, on the other hand, showed decreased cell wall water T2 values under decay, perhaps due to increased hydrophilicity through de-acetylation of the cell wall polymers. The relative proportion of water within the cell wall initially remains unchanged for unmodified samples and then decreases at later stages of decay, suggesting that cell wall nanoporosity development occurs at a similar rate to lumen surface erosion in early decay while the erosion mechanism takes over in the later stage of degradation. The trend for the proportion of cell wall water in decayed, acetylated samples was the opposite, implying a lesser role for lumen surface erosion compared to nanoporosity development in acetylated wood.
Keywords: biogas source, acid hydrolysis, lignocellulose material
Authors
Beck G.
Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Ås, Norway
Department of Natural Resources Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
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