Biomass Feedstock Storage for Quantity and Quality Preservation - Engineering and Science of Biomass Feedstock Production and Provision - page 170

Amorphous region with
reduced crystallinity

Crystalline
cellulose microfibril

Cellulose synthase
complex

(1,4) β -D-glucan

Rosette

Cellulose synthase protein

Plasma membrane

Cellulose microfibril

Hemicelulose

Lignins

Fig. 7.6 Production of microfibrils ( top ) and cellulose microfibrils-hemicellulose-lignin
complexes ( bottom ) as shown in Gomez et al. [ 16 ]

As shown in Fig. 7.6 , lignin coats the cellulose and hemicellulose which can
potentially be hydrolyzed into water-soluble sugars available for microbial oxida-
tion. During storage, lignin can protect biomass from degradation and dry matter
loss. However, reducing biomass recalcitrance due to lignin, during storage, could
simplify subsequent conversion.
Enzymatic activity on biomass is influenced by cellulose, hemicellulose, ferulic
acid, para-coumaric acid, xylose, glucose, arabinose, and ash [ 13 ]. The lignin content