**3.1 Composition of lignocellulose biomass**

**Figure 1** displays the lignocellulose biomass content of the selected agricultural wastes. Among them, mango endocarp was shown to possess the highest amount of cellulose (45.84%) while hemicellulose quantity was the highest in moringa pod. Generally, the amounts of lignin in the samples do not differ noticeably. As indicated in **Figure 2**, the main components of lignocellulosic biomass feedstock are cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, extractives, and ash. The results of the investigation align with findings from previous works, as indicated in **Table 1**.

#### **Figure 1.** *Analysis of the raw lignocellulose content of the samples (%).*

*Analysis and Characterization of Lignocellulosic Biomass Extracted from Selected Agricultural… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112954*

#### **Figure 2.**

*Composition of lignocellulosic biomass [26].*


#### **Table 1.**

*Reported compositional analysis of raw lignocelluloses of sugarcane bagasse, Siam weed, and Rice straw (%w/w).*

The availability of various lignocellulose components of biomass and the ease of their usage in the production of biofuel is mostly determined by their quantity in the source. Among, the lignocellulose biomass, the cellulose and hemicellulose components are the most abundant renewable organic resource [25, 26]. The high cellulose content found in the mango seed endocarp and the considerable hemicellulose content of the moringa seed pod from the present investigation are an indication of their potential to be useful in the production of biofuel. In the cell walls of plants, the bonds holding cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin together differ. Molecules of cellulose and hemicellulose, or lignin are generally held together by hydrogen bonds. In addition to the hydrogen bond, lignin and hemicellulose also chemically bind together, causing the lignin to always contain a tiny amount of carbohydrates when it is separated from natural lignocelluloses [25]. This interaction influences the release of simple sugars during hydrolysis. In this study, the proportion of hemicellulose to lignin ratio of the mango endocarp sample was the lowest (0.67), followed by that of the melon husk (0.93) and the moringa pod (1.77). Therefore, the degree of hydrolysis of these agricultural wastes may be in order: melon seed husk, mango endocarp, and moringa pod.

#### **3.2 Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy**

Functional groups in complicated chemical mixtures are usually identified and compared using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. **Figures 3**–**5** show the

#### *From Biomass to Biobased Products*

Fourier transform infrared spectra of the agricultural waste samples components. The characteristic prominent peaks for samples are provided in **Table 2**.

The FTIR spectroscopy examination revealed spectra at 3422.99, 3422.66, and 3422.85 cm−1 for mango seed endocarp, melon shell, and moringa seed pod, respectively. These spectra signify the presence of bonded ∙OH groups, as illustrated in the peaks in **Figures 3**–**5** and **Table 2**. Conjugated carboxylic acids undergo a C∙C stretching at the peak of about 1637 cm−1. At 1205.72, 1204.50, and 1206.24 cm−1, the

**Figure 3.** *FT-IR spectrum for mango endocarp.*

**Figure 4.** *Melon husk FT-IR Spectrum.*

*Analysis and Characterization of Lignocellulosic Biomass Extracted from Selected Agricultural… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112954*

**Figure 5.** *FT-IR spectrum for Moringa pod.*


#### **Table 2.**

*FT-IR of acid hydrolysis of extractive-free mango endocarp, melon husk, and moringa seed pod.*

vibrations of the aliphatic chains, ∙CH2- and ∙CH3-, which constitute the fundamental structure of cellulose material, are observed. Peaks at 1056.15, 1035.80, and 1055.86 cm–1 may be attributed to the vibration of C∙O∙R or C∙O∙R (alcohols or esters) [27, 28]. The observation in this study is in agreement with that reported by [29, 30]. These bands are therefore common to those observed in cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin FT-IR spectra [31, 32].
