Deep eutectic solvent (DES) and hot-water extraction (HWE) methods were utilized to extract polysaccharides from Polygonatum sibiricum, referred to as DPsP and WPsP, respectively. The extracted polysaccharides were purified using the Superdex-200 dextran gel purification system, resulting in three components for each type of polysaccharide. The structures of these components were characterized. The molecular weight analysis revealed that DPsP components had slightly larger molecular weights compared with WPsP, with DPsP-A showing a slightly higher dispersity index and broader molecular weight distribution. The main monosaccharide components of both DPsP and WPsP were mannose and glucose, while DPsP exhibited a slightly greater variety of sugar components compared with WPsP. FTIR analysis demonstrated characteristic polysaccharide absorption peaks in all six PSP components, with a predominance of acidic pyranose sugars. NMR analysis revealed the presence of pyranose sugars, including rhamnose and sugar aldehyde acids, in both DPsP-B and WPsP-A. DPsP-B primarily exhibited β-type glycosidic linkages, while WPsP-A predominantly displayed α-type glycosidic linkages, with a smaller fraction being β-type. These findings indicated differences in monosaccharide composition and structure between PSPs extracted using different methods. Overall, this study provided experimental evidence for future research on the structure–function relationship of PSPs.

Efficient pretreatment is a prerequisite for lignocellulosic biomass biorefinery due to the structure of lignocellulose. This study is a first-time investigation into the structural changes of Miscanthus biomass treated with ⁶⁰Co γ-ray irradiation in different doses up to 1200 kGy. The structural properties of the treated sample have been systematically characterized by FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), XRD, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), a laser particle size analyzer, SEM, an atomic force microscope (AFM), and NMR. The results show that irradiation treatment can partially destroy the intra- or inter-molecular hydrogen bonds of biomass. Irradiation treatment can also reduce particle size, narrow the distribution range, as well as increase the specific surface area of biomasses. Noticeably, the TGA stability of the treated biomass decreases with increasing absorbed doses. To respond to these structural changes, the treated biomass can be easily hydrolyzed by cellulases with a high yield of reducing sugars (557.58 mg/g biomass), much higher than that of the untreated sample. We conclude that irradiation treatment can damage biomass structure, a promising strategy for biomass biorefinery in the future.

In this study, crude lignin extracted from the black liquor generated by a pulp and paper mill was modified by different doses of irradiation. The crude and irradiation-modified lignins were used to treat wastewater that was generated during the production of starch glucoamylase. Changes to the physical and chemical properties and structure of the irradiation-modified lignins were determined using scanning electron microscopy, solubility analysis, elemental analysis, analysis of phenolic hydroxyl group, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Irradiation reduced the phenolic hydroxyl content in the lignin but increased its solubility by about 40%; analysis revealed that irradiation also destroyed the skeletal structure of the benzene ring in the lignin. After four minutes of settling, the total nitrogen (TN) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the wastewater reached 7.0 mg/L and 1573.1 mg/L, respectively. The settled solids content and protein recovery were 1.12 g/L and 98%, respectively. This study suggested that irradiation-modified lignin extracted from black liquor generated in the pulp and paper industry can be used to treat wastewater from the production of starch glucoamylase.

Bioethanol is the most commonly used renewable biofuel as an alternative to fossil fuels. Many microbial strains can convert lignocellulosics into bioethanol. However, very few natural strains with a high capability of fermenting pentose sugars and simultaneously utilizing various sugars have been reported. In this study, fermentation of sugar by Fusarium oxysporum G was performed for the production of ethanol to improve the performance of the fermentation process. The influences of pH, substrate concentration, temperature, and rotation speed on ethanol fermentation are investigated. The three significant factors (pH, substrate concentration, and temperature) are further optimized by quadratic orthogonal rotation regression combination design and response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum conditions are pH 4, 40 g/L of xylose, 32 °C, and 110 rpm obtained through single factor experiment design. Finally, it is found that the maximum ethanol production (10.0 g/L) can be achieved after 7 d of fermentation under conditions of pH 3.87, 45.2 g/L of xylose, and 30.4 °C. Glucose is utilized preferentially for the glucose–xylose mixture during the initial fermentation stage, but glucose and xylose are synchronously consumed without preference in the second period. These findings are significant for the potential industrial application of this strain for bioethanol production.