Using fluorescent probes and FRAP to investigate macromolecule diffusion in steam-exploded wood

• Diffusion of fluorescently labeled dextran of varying molecular weight in wood pretreated by steam explosion was studied with a confocal microscope. The steam explosion experiments were conducted at relatively mild conditions relevant for materials biorefinery at a pressure of 14 bars for 10 min. The method of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) was used to perform diffusion measurements locally in the wood microstructure. It was found that the FRAP methodology can be used to observe differences in the diffusion coefficient based on localization in the microstructure, i.e., earlywood, latewood, and cell wall. Microscopic changes due to steam explosion were seen to increase diffusion of the smaller 3-kDa dextran diffusion probe in the earlywood, while the latewood structure was not affected in any significant way. Macroscopic changes to the structure in the form of ruptures due to the steam explosion pretreatment were observed to increase the rate of diffusion for the larger 40-kDa dextran probe.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Biofysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Biophysics (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Kompositmaterial och -teknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Composite Science and Engineering (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Dextran

Explosions

Fluorescence

Microstructure

Photobleaching

Probes

Steam

Steam engineering

Biorefineries

Cell walls

Diffusion measurements

Earlywood

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching

Fluorescent probes

Pre-Treatment

Steam explosion

Diffusion

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)