Composition and Structure Analysis of Sweet Sorghum Stalk

Facing to the rapid depletion of fossil resource, a renewable and sustainable resource of energy is expected. Sweet sorghum as a multi-plantform energy crop is regard as a promising feedstock for producing biofuels. The recalcitrant characters of different parts of sweet sorghum stalks are major factors to affect the bio-degradation performance of the feedstock. In this study, the chemical compositions of the sweet sorghum stalks including leaf, bark, pith, kont, and different height parts of stalks were analyzed. Furthermore, their chemical and physical structures were characterized by IR, XRD and SEM. The results showed there are not only significant differences in the lignin content and S/G ratio of lignin for different parts of stalks, but also significant difference in crystallinity of celluloses. The further enzymatic hydrolysis experiment demonstrated the cellulose conversion depended on the lignin content.