Chemical compositions of five 3-year-old hardwood trees

Contents of lignin, pentosan, holocellulose, and alpha-cellulose were determined on 3-year-old trees of autumn olive, black alder, black locust, eastern cottonwood, and sycamore. These plantations were established on marginal agricultural land in the Midwestern United States that was not suitable for food production. Test results indicated that chemical properties did vary among species, planting sites, spacing, and tree portion. Trees grown on upland sites gave significantly higher values for lignin, pentosan, and holocellulose content. The narrowly spaced trees gave higher values for pentosan content. The widely spaced trees gave higher values for lignin, holocellulose, and alpha-cellulose content. The mixture tree portion contained higher amounts of lignin. The wood portion contained more pentosan, holocellulose, and alpha-cellulose. Autumn olive had the highest lignin content. Sycamore had more pentosan and holocellulose. Black locust had the highest alpha-cellulose content. The results indicated that the five 3-year-old deciduous species examined could serve as a raw material for the rayon and polymer industries, as well as for liquid fuel.