Cellulose – Mere Moonshine

March 30, 2023

Birch, Hemicellulose, Plants, Xylan, Xylose

Xylose is the main building block for the hemicellulose

Xylose is the main building block for the hemicellulose xylan, which comprises about 30% of some plants (birch for example), far less in others (spruce and pine have about 9% xylan). Xylose is otherwise pervasive, being found in the embryos of most edible plants. It was first isolated from wood

March 30, 2023

Biomass, Biorefinery, Biotechnology, Cellulose, Hemicellulose, Nanocellulose, Xylose

Reduction of xylose by catalytic hydrogenation produces the sugar substitute xylitol

Xylose (cf. Ancient Greek: ξύλον, xylon, “wood”) is a sugar first isolated from wood, and named for it. Xylose is classified as a monosaccharide of the aldopentose type, which means that it contains five carbon atoms and includes an aldehyde functional group. It is deriv