Effect of Surfactant on Pseudo-Lignin Formation

In this study, a nonionic surfactant (JFC-M) was used as an additive for hydrothermal pretreatment of crushed poplar wood. The pseudo-lignin extracted from holocellulose after hydrothermal pretreatment was characterized, and the composition of liquid and solid fractions obtained after pretreatment at different experimental conditions was analyzed. The results showed that the addition of JFC-M surfactant accelerated the dissolution of biomass cellulose and effectively inhibited the production of pseudo-lignin in hydrothermal processes, under the same hydrothermal pretreatment conditions. The pseudo-lignin yield for the control group was 14.2% (no JFC surfactant added), whereas when the JFC-M concentration was 2%, the pseudo-lignin yield was 9.8%.