Investigation of lignocellulosic residue composition by means of Van Soest method and FT-IR spectroscopy

Lignocellulosic (LC) biomass, the most abundant renewable biopolymer on Earth, holds significant promise as a sustainable feedstock for biofuels and high-value bioproducts. However, its structural complexity and high resistance to enzymatic degradation – mainly due to the presence of lignin – present major challenges for industrial bioconversion. This study aims to address these challenges by characterizing the composition of diverse LC materials using near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis. The focus is on exploring the variation in LC materials based on their cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content using Principal Component Analysis. Additionally, selected samples were subjected to liquid-submerged fermentation with the ligninolytic fungus Pleurotus ostreatus to assess its potential for ecofriendly pretreatment. Infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor compositional changes during fermentation, with the goal of evaluating its suitability as a rapid, non-destructive tool for real-time process control. The findings support the integration of spectroscopy and fungal biotechnology for sustainable LC residues valorization.