ACCELERATING THE CHARACTERISATION OF SUGARCANE BIOMASS USING NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES

SUGARCANE BIOMASS HAS significant potential as a feedstock for second generation biofuel production, but effective biomass processing requires a detailed knowledge of the lignocellulosic characteristics of the feedstock. The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) standard analytical methods for the lignocellulosic characterisation of biomass have been used to characterise a variety of sugarcane biomass types including bagasse, whole stalk, leaves and tops. Hydroxycinnamic acids cross-linking lignin to the carbohydrate polymers of cell walls have also been quantified. All of these analyses are technically demanding, costly and time-consuming. Rapid near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic methods have proven to be a feasible alternative to these methods and provide accelerated analysis of biomass samples in the laboratory. NIR methods also have the ability to screen thousands of samples from plant breeding applications and to evaluate bagasse properties in real time at sugar mills. The application of these various NIR systems permits a multi-pronged approach to understand the diversity and value of sugarcane as a biomass/biofuel feedstock.