Important Properties of Lignin-Carbohydrates Complexes (LCCs) in Environmentally Safe Paper Making

Abstract

Lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) are glycoconjugates in which hydrophobic lignin is chemically bound to hydrophilic polysaccharides in wood cell walls. Alkali-stable linkages in the amphipathic substances are one of the major origins of chromophoric substances remaining in kraft pulp. Because decolorization of the chromophore with chlorinated chemicals results in the production of toxic substances, microbial conversion of the chromogens has gathered much interest in this decade. However, the nature of lignin-carbohydrate complexes in the pulp has not been systematized and reactivities of LCC during the biobleaching have not been analyzed of a molecular level. Chemical analysis and microbial cleavage of the alkali-stable lignin-carbohydrate bonds are indispensable for environmentally safe paper making.