Comparative Chemical Analysis of the Rind and Pith of Totora (Schoenoplectus californicus) Stems

ABSTRACT

Totora (Schoenoplectus californicus (C.A. Mey.) Soják) is a sedge that grows in lakes and marshes in America and some of the Pacific Islands. The hypothesis tested was that the rind and pith of totora stems have different chemical characteristics. A higher ash content on the pith (7.81% vs. 6.36%) may indicate strategies of the plant to reinforce the aerenchyma tissue and clarify the storage mechanism of compounds by bio mineralization. Almost double acid-insoluble lignin content in the rind (16.42% vs. 8.90%) may indicate the potential optimization of industrial procedures such as paper production by using specific tissues of the plant.

摘要

托托拉(Schoenoplectuscalifornicus(C.A.Mey.)Sojak)是一种莎草，生长在美国和一些太平洋岛屿的湖泊和沼泽中。测试的假设是托叶茎的果皮和髓具有不同的化学特性。髓中灰分含量较高（7.81%对6.36%）表明了植物强化气孔组织的策略，并阐明了生物矿化对化合物的储存机理。果皮上几乎双倍的酸不溶木质素含量（16.42%比8.90%）可能表明利用植物的特定组织生产纸张等工业过程的潜在优化。

KEYWORDS:

• Chemical characterization
• totora
• stems composition
• natural fibers
• plants chemical properties
• lignocellulosic materials

关键词:

• 化学表征
• 托托拉
• 茎组成
• 天然纤维
• 植物化学性质
• 木质纤维素材料

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA) – Centro de Investigaciones Forestales (CIFOR)-Madrid, Spain for their facilities and laboratories. A word of thanks also goes to Dr. M. Teresa de Troya from the Forestry Products Department of the INIA-CIFOR for this support.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación-Ecuador [grant number AR6C-000034-2016].