Hydrolysis characteristics of tissue fractions resulting from mechanical separation of corn stover.

Corn stover has potential as a resource for both fiber and chemical needs if separation strategies can be developed to deal with its heterogeneity. Relative hydrolysis characteristics were assessed for pith (sclerenchyma and parenchyma) and fiber (collenchyma) tissue fractions derived from mechanical separation of corn stover to determine whether classification by tissue type resulted in fractions with different hydrolysis response. The physical characteristics of the tissue fractions were analyzed. The hydrolysis behavior of the fractions was evaluated under both acidic and basic conditions. The results from the hydrolysis experiments are compared with previously reported compositional analysis for the tissue fractions.