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Exploring the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the water-soluble fraction derived from pyrolytic lignin separation in fast-pyrolysis bio-oil

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Abstract

Improving key biomass functionalities necessitates effective liquid-liquid fractionation methods for heavy bio-oil. Here, fast-pyrolysis bio-oil derived from eucalypt wood was fractionated in cold water to separate insoluble and water-soluble fractions. We focus on the water-soluble fraction, a promising renewable source of chemicals with potential antioxidant and antimicrobial approaches. Fast-pyrolysis bio-oil was fractionated in three oil-to-water ratios, 1:100, 1:50, and 1:35, separating the pyrolytic lignin and producing water-soluble fractions as byproducts. The water-soluble fractions were analytically investigated through physicochemical properties, chemical composition by chromatography, phenolic content, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, and their storage stability. Higher water content in the pyrolytic lignin separation resulted in higher yield and higher molecular weight compounds concentration in the water-soluble fractions, with the presence of high-value-added chemicals, such as catechol, vanillin, and levoglucosan. Levoglucosan was the dominant chemical identified in the water-soluble fractions, notably for the 1:50 oil-to-water ratio. These remarkable chemicals and a high phenolic content contribute to both high antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Despite the low concentration, all water-soluble fractions exhibited intense inhibition of Trametes versicolor and Gloeophyllum trabeum fungi. The fraction 1:50 completely inhibited the fungal activity. Both 1:100 and 1:50 fractions showed antibacterial activity for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Regardless of the oil-to-water ratio, water-soluble fractions exhibited a relative storage chemical stability under accelerated aging conditions for 43 days. Therefore, water-soluble fractions of fast-pyrolysis bio-oil derived from a simple method to separate pyrolytic lignin are functional materials with remarkable antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and, hence, upgrading bio-oil based on their functionalities.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to proprietary nature but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Finance Code 001), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, grant number 422934/2018-6), and Fundação Araucária (grant number 048/2020). We also thank Embrapa Florestas, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Laboratório de Microbiologia (UTFPR), Grupo de Cromatografia e Técnicas de Microextração (CroMe-UFPR), and Suzano S.A. for supporting this work.

Funding

This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Finance Code 001), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, grantnumber 422934/2018-6), and Fundação Araucária (grant number 048/2020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Forest Engineering, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, 80210-170, Brazil

    Ivana Amorim Dias, Graciela Ines Bolzon de Muniz & Pedro Henrique Gonzalez de Cademartori

  2. Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, 81531-980, Brazil

    Rayta Paim Horta & Bruno José Gonçalves da Silva

  3. Graduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, Polytechnic Center, Curitiba, 81531-990, Brazil

    Mailson Matos, Washington Luiz Esteves Magalhães & Pedro Henrique Gonzalez de Cademartori

  4. Embrapa Florestas, Estrada da Ribeira, Km 111, Colombo, 83411-000, Brazil

    Cristiane Vieira Helm, Washington Luiz Esteves Magalhães & Edson Alves de Lima

  5. Department of Forest Engineering and Technology (DETF), Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, 80210-170, Brazil

    Graciela Ines Bolzon de Muniz & Pedro Henrique Gonzalez de Cademartori

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  1. Ivana Amorim Dias
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by IAD and RPH. The first draft of the manuscript was written by IAD, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Pedro Henrique Gonzalez de Cademartori.

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Dias, I.A., Horta, R.P., Matos, M. et al. Exploring the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the water-soluble fraction derived from pyrolytic lignin separation in fast-pyrolysis bio-oil. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-023-04561-7

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