STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN HEMP FIBERS: AN ECO-FRIENDLY PRETREATMENT APPROACH USING POTASSIUM CARBONATE
2. INTERNATIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENT AND HEMP CONGRESS, Bursa, Türkiye, 15 - 16 Aralık 2025, ss.8-15, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Bursa
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.8-15
- Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant, renewable, and cost-effective feedstock widely used in the biofuel, textile, and biocomposite industries. It is mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin—three structural polymers that collectively provide rigidity and resilience to plant cell walls. However, the tight binding of lignin to cellulose restricts enzymatic accessibility, thereby reducing biomass conversion efficiency. To overcome this limitation, a pretreatment stage is required to disrupt lignin–carbohydrate linkages and expose cellulose surfaces for further processing. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) stands out due to its high cellulose content, low lignin proportion, and rapid growth. Efficient pretreatment of hemp fibers is crucial for enhancing both biofuel production and fiber-based industrial applications. Various physical, chemical, and biological pretreatment methods have been developed; however, environmentally friendly and economical approaches remain a priority. In this study, hemp of the “Narlısaray” variety was treated with 2.5% potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) solution to evaluate the effects of an eco-friendly alkaline pretreatment. Potassium carbonate offers several advantages over stronger alkalis, such as lower corrosiveness and reduced environmental impact. Post-treatment analyses included lignin solubilization, cellulose crystallinity, surface morphology, and fiber tensile strength. The results demonstrate that potassium carbonate effectively loosens the lignin–cellulose network, enhances fiber porosity, and improves enzymatic accessibility and mechanical performance. These findings emphasize the potential of potassium carbonate pretreatment as a sustainable and scalable process for improving hemp utilization efficiency in both bioenergy conversion and advanced material development.
Keywords: Industrial Hemp, Lignocellulose, Pretreatment, Potassium Carbonate, Fiber Morphology, Biofuel