Scientific Publications
Chemical characterisation and analysis of the cell wall polysaccharides of duckweed (Lemna minor)
Carbohydrate Polymers, 111, 410-418
Duckweed is potentially an ideal biofuel feedstock due to its high proportion of cellulose and starch and low lignin content. However, there is little detailed information on the composition and structure of duckweed, particularly cell wall structure, relevant to optimizing the conversion of duckweed biomass to ethanol and other biorefinery products. This study reports that, for the variety and batch evaluated, carbohydrates constitute 51.2 % (w/w) of dry matter while starch accounts for 22.2 % (w/w) of dry matter. To the best of our knowledge, this study, for the first time, analyses duckweed cell wall composition. The cell wall is rich in cellulose and also contains 20.3 % pectin, 3.5 % hemicellulose and 0.03% phenolics. FT-IR results imply that L. minor pectin involves galacturonan, xylogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan and homogalacturonan; hemicellulose involves xyloglucan and xylan. In addition, essential fatty acids (α –linolenic and linoleic/ linoelaidic acid) and p-coumaric acid respectively are the most abundant fatty acids and phenolics.
Carbohydrate Polymers, 111, 410-418
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