Reactivity of main components and substituent distribution in esterified sugarcane bagasse prepared by effective solid phase reaction

Three main components of lignocellulose (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin isolated from sugarcane bagasse (SCB)) as well as holocellulose and SCB were modified with maleic acid by mechanical activation (MA)-assisted solid phase reaction (MASPR) technology. The order of reactivity was found to be lignin > hemicellulose > cellulose. The amorphous structure of lignin and hemicellulose mainly attributed to their better reactivity, and the modified lignin could reach a maximum degree of esterification (DE) of 93.45%. MA improved the accessibility and reactivity of cellulose, as the DE of modified cellulose gradually increased with milling time and reached the maximum value of 57.30% at 120 min, which had significant effect on structure changes and DE of modified holocellulose and SCB. MA enhanced the esterification of all three components in lignocellulose with relatively high substituent distribution in them, and maleated SCB with a maximum DE of 64.17% was successfully prepared by this simple, green, and effective MASPR technology.