Isolation and Characterization of Hemicellulose and Cellulose from Sugar Beet Pulp

Various conditions for the extraction of hemicellulose and cellulose from sugar beet pulp were examined, including pulp particle size, temperature of EDTA extraction, temperature and concentration of alkaline extraction, and delignification time. A procedure using 60 mesh pulp, 85°C EDTA extraction of pectins, 10% NaOH extraction at 25°C followed by one hour delignification gave the highest yields. Molecular weights of hemicellulose ranged from 40,000 to 150,000 daltons for the A form and 10,000 to 150,000 daltons for the B form. The monosaccharide composition of hemicellulose A and B differed significantly. Hemicellulose B had the highest water‐holding capacity followed by hemicellulose A and cellulose. Viscosity of the hemicelluloses was very low. Copyright © 1988, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved