Influence of pH and Ionic Strength on the Aggregation Behaviors of Xylan Rich Hemicelluloses with Alkaline Lignins

The evolution of xylan-rich hemicelluloses (XH) aggregation behaviors in the presence of alkaline lignins (AL) under a wide range of pH values and NaCl concentration were investigated via dynamic light scattering and turbidity measurements. XH isolated from wheat straw contain a xylose backbone with arabinose side chains and a small amount of phenol groups. XH tend to aggregate in solution due to their low ratio of arabinose to xylose and hydrophobic phenol groups. AL interact with XH through the phenol groups bonded to the hemicellulose main chain to form an AL-XH complex. As the pH value decreases, the particle size and turbidity of AL, XH and their bonded complex all increase. The size of the AL-XH complex agglomerate is greater than the size of a XH at the same pH value, which indicates that the self-assembly of lignin molecules initiate the aggregation of XH. The particle size and turbidity of XH and AL-XH complexes increase as the XH concentration increase. At low pH values, e.g., 6.0, the particle size of the AL-XH complex more obviously increases compared to the XH particles. The size and turbidity of the AL, XH, and AL-XH complex agglomerates increased as the NaCl concentration increased.