New Method for Carbohydrates Determination in Sugarcane Bagasse by HPAEC-RPAD Using Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Carbon Nanotubes and Nickel Nanoparticles

Abstract

Second generation ethanol can be produced from carbohydrates released from both sugarcane bagasse cell wall and sugarcane straw. The development of new method for the analysis of carbohydrates is, in this sense, seen as extremely relevant in the area of bioenergy. Based on the above considerations, the scope of this work encompasses the identification and quantification of carbohydrates composition in sugarcane bagasse without the need of sample derivatization, developing a novel analytical method using a glassy carbon electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes containing nickel oxyhydroxide nanoparticles (GCE/MWCNT/NiOOH) and applying the modified electrode as a detector in HPAEC (High Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography) with reverse pulsed amperometric detection (RPAD) towards the determination of arabinose, galactose, glucose and xylose in hydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse. The carbohydrates concentrations determined in the hydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse were 6.1×10−4 mol L−1, 1.0×10−2 mol L−1 and 2.8×10−3 mol L−1 for arabinose, glucose, and xylose respectively. Our results showed that the present method is, in essence, attractive for analysis in the course of the production process of second generation ethanol production in that it does not require sample derivatization, has rapid run time, satisfactory separation, and can be used for the detection of carbohydrates without the interference of other electroactive species.