Structural-chemical characterization and potential of sisal bagasse for the production of polyols of industrial interest

Sisal is a potential raw material for the production of bioproducts because it has high contents of cellulose and hemicellulose that generate fermentable sugars and can produce compounds of value for industrial use. The present study evaluates the structural composition of sisal bagasse to use it in the production of arabitol and xylitol. Sisal bagasse was characterized by determination of the moisture, pH, ash, soluble solids, extractives, alpha cellulose, holocellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Electron microscopy and infrared and X-ray diffraction analyses were also performed. The cell growth of the yeast Debaryomyces hansenii in synthetic media was tested to determine the best conditions for the fermentation in the sisal bagasse hydrolysate. The results showed high amounts of hemicellulose (22.91%) in sisal bagasse biomass when compared to sugarcane and the conversion of hemicellulose, breaking into pentoses in the hydrolysed liquor from the sisal bagasse, was efficient (liquor rich in pentoses). These evidences were obtained through analytical determinations such as SEM and physical analyses of infrared and X-ray diffraction; in addition, the results showed that D. hansenii gave excellent arabitol production (1.14 g L−1) values in the sisal bagasse hydrolysate medium, thus demonstrating the importance of the biomass for obtaining bioproducts.