Effect of pre-extraction on soda-anthraquinone (AQ) pulping of rice straw

The effect of hot-water and alkaline pre-extraction of rice straw on soda-anthraquinone pulping was carried out. The pre-extraction with hot water at 150 °C for 1 h dissolved 34.7% biomass and the pre-extracted liquor comprised of 16.6% sugars, 6.7% lignin, 6.6% acetic acid and other unknown products. But the pre-extraction with 1% NaOH at 100 °C for 1 h dissolved 10.2% sugars, 5.1% lignin and 10% acetic acid from rice straw. Pre-extracted rice straw was cooked by soda-anthraquinone process with varying alkali charges. The pulp from pre-extracted rice straw was low in kappa number with reduced pulp yield. The drainage resistance (°SR) improved obviously on pre-extraction of rice straw. Pulp strength properties such as the tensile index and the burst index were found to be lower, but the tear index was higher both with hot-water and alkaline pre-extraction. After bleaching, the gaps of the overall pulp yield and strength properties between pre-extracted and non-extracted rice straw became narrower. The alkaline pre-extraction showed improved yield and properties compared with hot-water pre-extracted rice straw.     

Composite materials of thermoplastic starch and fibers from the ethanol-water fractionation of bagasse

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of the fibrous material obtained from ethanol-water fractionation of bagasse as reinforcement of thermoplastic starches in order to improve their mechanical properties. The composites were elaborated using matrices of corn and cassava starches plasticized with 30 wt% glycerin. The mixtures (0, 5, 10 and 15 wt% bagasse fiber) were elaborated in a rheometer at 150 °C. The mixtures obtained were pressed on a hot plate press at 155 °C. The test specimens were obtained according to ASTM D638. Tensile tests, moisture absorption tests for 24 days (20-23 °C and 53% RH, ASTM E104), and dynamic-mechanical analyses (DMA) in tensile mode were carried out. Images by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction were obtained. Fibers (10 wt% bagasse fiber) increased tensile strength by 44% and 47% compared to corn and cassava starches, respectively. The reinforcement (15 wt% bagasse fiber) increased more than fourfold the elastic modulus on starch matrices. The storage modulus at 30 °C (E_30 °C′) increased as the bagasse fiber content increased, following the trend of tensile elastic modulus. The results indicate that these fibers have potential applications in the development of biodegradable composite materials.     

Homogeneous lauroylation of ball-milled bamboo in ionic liquid for bio-based composites production: Part I: Modification and characterization

Ball-milled bamboo meal was completely dissolved under constant conditions (130 °C, 6 h) in the ionic liquid ([C₄mim]Cl) and then the lauroylation was carried out at different conditions. The various factors, such as molar ratio and temperature, were investigated to evaluate the effect of modification. Results showed that the molar ratio played a very important role for the lauroylation. The weight percent gain (WPG) ranged from 167% to 528% when the molar ratio increased from 1.0 to 2.0 for 2 h. It has been shown that the highly substituted bamboo derivatives could be obtained by reacting bamboo meal with lauroyl chloride as the molar ratio is 2.0. All reactions were performed under mild conditions, low excess of reagent and a short reaction time as compared to the heterogeneous chemical modification. The physicochemical properties of the bamboo derivatives were also widely investigated. Results obtained from FTIR and NMR spectroscopies confirmed that the lauroylated derivatives were successfully synthesized in one step. It was also found that thermal stability of the esterified derivatives is lower than that of the unmodified bamboo meal. Moreover, the morphological properties of the esterified bamboo meal were significantly changed by chemical modification. The rough appearance of bamboo meal changed into a relatively homogeneous and smooth surface morphology after lauroylation. Furthermore, the lauroylated bamboo meal had excellent solubility in chloroform, which provides feasibility to electrostatic spinning of modified bamboo meal as biomaterials for industries.     

Thermal transitions of the amorphous polymers in wheat straw

The thermal transitions of the amorphous polymers in wheat straw were investigated using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The study included both natural and solvent extracted wheat straw, in moist (8-9% water content) and dry conditions, and was compared to spruce samples. Under these conditions two transitions arising from the glass transition of lignin and hemicelluloses have been identified. Key transitions attributed to softening of lignin were found at 53, 63 and 91 °C for moist samples of wheat straw, extracted straw and spruce, respectively. Transitions for hemicelluloses were determined at 2, −1 and 5 °C, respectively. Differences are likely due to different compositions of lignin and hemicelluloses from straw and spruce and structural differences between the raw materials. The high wax content in wheat straw resulted in a transition at about 40 °C which was absent in solvent extracted wheat straw samples and spruce. This specific transition was further investigated and confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of extracted wheat straw wax. Information about the thermal transitions is of great importance for the utilization of wheat straw in pelletizing, briquetting and fiber board manufacturing.     

Changes in gelatinization and rheological characteristics of japonica rice starch induced by pressure/heat combinations

Rice starch suspensions of 10% dry matter (DM) were treated by heat (0.1 MPa at 20–85 °C) or pressure/heat combinations (100–600 MPa at 20, 40 and 50 °C) for 15 min to investigate their gelatinization and rheological characteristics. The maximum swelling index of about 12 g water per gram of DM was obtained by thermal treatment at 85 °C, meanwhile, that of 7.0 g was observed by 600-MPa pressurization at 50 °C. The higher temperatures or pressures resulted in the higher degrees of gelatinization. Furthermore, treatments of 0.1 MPa at 85 °C, 500 MPa at 50 °C and 600 MPa at various temperatures caused complete gelatinization of rice starch. The consistency index (K) and storage modulus (G′) dramatically increased from 70 °C or 400 MPa. The G′ values were higher in pressure-treated samples than those in thermal-treated samples. Therefore, an application of pressure/heat combinations as a processing method to improve the quality of rice starch products would be possible.     

Effects of straw mulch on mungbean yield in rice fields with strongly compacted soils

In rice-based lowland areas in the Mekong region, the lack of full irrigation water availability for post-rice legume crops and the poor soil physical and chemical conditions are major constraints for development of sound rice/legume double cropping system. In order to improve legume productivity, use of rice straw mulch and various crop establishment methods were examined in two series of mungbean experiments in Cambodia where soils were coarse and strongly compacted. In one set of experiments conducted at four locations in the first year the effect of straw mulch, planting method (manual vs seed drill) and tillage method (conventional vs no-till) was examined. Another set of experiments were conducted in the second year at three locations with four levels of mulch under two planting densities. On average in year 1, mulching of rice straw at 1.5 t/ha increased mungbean crop establishment from 72 to 83%, reduced weed biomass from 164 to 123 kg/ha and increased yield from 228 to 332 kg/ha. Mulch was effective in conserving soil moisture, and even at maturity the mulched area had on average 1% higher soil moisture content. The amount of mulch between 1 and 2 t/ha did not show consistent effects in year 2, partly because some mulch treatments resulted in excessive soil moisture content and were not effective. Rice straw mulch had a significant effect on mungbean yield in 6 out of the 7 experiments conducted in two years, and mean yield increase was 35%. This yield advantage was attributed to better crop establishment, improved growth and reduced weed pressure, but in some cases only one or two of these factors were effective. On the other hand, planting method, tillage method and planting density had only small effects on mungbean yield in most experiments. Only in one location out of four tested, the no-till treatment produced significantly higher yield than the conventional method. Seed drill produced similar mungbean establishment and grain yield to the manual planting suggesting that the planter can be used to save the labour cost which is increasing rapidly in the Mekong region. Maximum root depth varied little with mulch or planting density, and was shallow (<20 cm) in all three locations where this character was determined. It is concluded that while rice straw mulch increased yield of mungbean following rice, the inability of mungbean roots to penetrate the hard pan is a major constraint for development of a sound rice/mungbean cropping system in the lowlands with compacted soils.     

Improving crop yield and N uptake with long-term straw retention in two contrasting soil types

Retention and/or reincorporation of plant residues increases soil organic nitrogen (N) levels over the long-term is associated with increased crop yields. There is still uncertainty, however, about the interaction between crop residue (straw) retention and N fertilizer rates and sources. The objective of the study was to assess the influence of straw management (straw removed [S_Rem] and straw retained [S_Ret]), N fertilizer rate (0, 25, 50 and 75 kg N ha⁻¹) and N source (urea and polymer-coated urea [called ESN]) under conventional tillage on seed yield, straw yield, total N uptake in seed + straw and N balance sheet. Field experiments with barley monoculture (1983-1996), and wheat/barley-canola-triticale-pea rotation (1997-2009) were conducted on two contrasting soil types (Gray Luvisol [Typic Haplocryalf] loam soil at Breton; Black Chernozem [Albic Argicryoll] silty clay loam at Ellerslie) in north-central Alberta, Canada. On the average, S_Ret produced greater seed yield (by 205-220 kg ha⁻¹), straw yield (by 154-160 kg ha⁻¹) and total N uptake in seed + straw (by 5.2 kg N ha⁻¹) than S_Rem in almost all cases in both periods at Ellerslie, and only in the 1997-2009 period at Breton (by 102 kg seed ha⁻¹, 196 kg straw ha⁻¹ and by 3.7 kg N ha⁻¹) for both N sources. There was generally a considerable increase in seed yield, straw yield and total N uptake in seed + straw from applied N up to 75 kg N ha⁻¹ rate for both N sources at both sites and more so at Breton, but the response to applied N decreased with increasing N rate. The ESN was superior to urea in increasing seed yield (by 109 kg ha⁻¹), straw yield (by 80 kg ha⁻¹) and total N uptake in seed + straw (by 2.4 kg N ha⁻¹) in the 1983-1996 period at Breton (mainly at the 25 and 50 kg N ha⁻¹ rates). But, urea produced greater straw yield (by 95 kg ha⁻¹) and total N uptake in seed + straw (by 3.3 kg N ha⁻¹) than ESN in the 1983-1996 period at Ellerslie. The N balance sheets over the 1983-2009 study duration indicated large amounts of applied N unaccounted for (ranged from 740 to 1518 kg N ha⁻¹ at Breton and from 696 to 1334 kg N ha⁻¹ at Ellerslie), suggesting a great potential for N loss from the soil-plant system through denitrification and/or nitrate leaching, and from the soil mineral N pool by N immobilization. In conclusion, the findings suggest that long-term retention of crop residue may gradually improve soil productivity. The effectiveness of N source varied with soil type.     

Thermochemical characterisation of straws and high yielding perennial grasses

The research is concerned with thermochemical characterisation of straws and high yielding perennial grasses. Crops selected for this study include wheat straw (Triticum aestivum), rape straw (Brassica napus), reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) and switch grass (Panicum virgatum). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to examine the distribution of char and volatiles during pyrolysis up to 900 °C. Utilising multi-heating rate thermogravimetric data, the Friedman iso-conversional kinetic method was used to determine pyrolysis kinetic parameters. Light and medium volatile decomposition products were investigated using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) up to 520 °C. The 22 highest yielding identifiable cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin biomass markers were semi-quantified taking into consideration peak areas from GC chromatograms. Notable differences can be seen in butanedioic acid, dimethyl ester (hemicelluloses decomposition products), 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (lignin marker) and levoglucosan (intermediate pyrolytic decomposition product of cellulose) content when comparing perennial grasses with straw. From results presented in this study, perennial grasses such as switch grass, have the most attractive properties for fast pyrolysis processing. This is because of the observed high volatile yield content of 82.23%, heating value of 19.64 MJ/kg and the relatively low inorganic content.     

Lucerne management in an organic farming system under dry site conditions

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) as a result of the legumes–rhizobia symbioses is the main source of nitrogen in organic farming systems. Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), used as green manure or as forage legume, is important on arable farms under dry site conditions. In a field experiment on organically managed agricultural fields, we examined the impacts of the utilisation system (harvested = forage production versus mulched = green manure) and the crop composition (pure lucerne crops versus lucerne–grass mixtures) on yield, biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), soil inorganic N content, N balance and water consumption of autumn-cultivated lucerne crops. The study was conducted at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, in eastern Austria—a region characterized by pannonian site conditions (9.8 °C mean annual temperature, 545 mm average total precipitation) and stockless farming systems. Our results indicate that the utilisation system and the crop composition had no marked influence on above- and below-ground dry matter (DM) and N yield, soil inorganic N contents, BNF, or water use efficiency of lucerne. The level of symbiotically fixed N₂ in harvested lucerne was 89–125 kg N ha⁻¹ (27–33% Ndfa = nitrogen derived from atmosphere) in the first year and 161–175 kg N ha⁻¹ (47–49% Ndfa) in the second year of the study. The high soil inorganic N supply in the first year increased the N uptake from soil by lucerne and led to a reduced BNF. Under the dry and unfavourable conditions in both study years, the nitrogen release from the legume mulch was retarded and BNF in mulched lucerne was not reduced. Assuming low gaseous N losses by mulching (15–30 kg N ha⁻¹), the green manure system reached a positive N balance (+137 to +186 kg N ha⁻¹) for the subsequent crops because abundant residues remained on the field.     

Production of activated carbon from organic by-products from the alcoholic beverage industry: Surface area and hardness optimization by using the response surface methodology

The ability of activated carbon to remove pollutants from water in packed column systems is dependent on granular material with mechanical strength sufficient to avoid attrition caused by stream flow. Therefore, an appropriate balance between surface area and hardness is essential when using activated carbon in real systems. The purpose of this research is to determine the optimal production conditions that generate activated carbon with adequate physical properties to be used in packed systems from agave bagasse, a waste product from the mezcal industries in Mexico. Activated carbons were produced by chemical activation (ZnCl₂ or H₃PO₄). Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the effect of the activation temperature (250-550 °C), activation time (0-50 min), and the concentration of activating agent (0.2-1.4; g activating agent/g bagasse) on both surface area and hardness. The production conditions that generated optimal characteristics in the activated carbon were 392 °C, 1.02 g activating agent/g bagasse and 23.8 min for H₃PO₄ activated samples and 456 °C, 1.08 g activating agent/g bagasse and 23.8 min for ZnCl₂ activated samples. The surface area and hardness of the activated carbon produced from bagasse under these conditions were similar to activated commercial carbons (surface area > 800 m²/g and hardness > 85%).     

Enzymatic epoxidation of Sapindus mukorossi seed oil by perstearic acid optimized using response surface methodology

As a novel renewable resource, Sapindus mukorossi seed oil (SMSO) with an iodine value of 84.86 g/100 g, and containing 51.0 ± 0.9% oleic acid (18:1), 6.6 ± 0.6% linoleic acid (18:2), 1.1 ± 0.3% linolenic acid (18:3), and 23.1 ± 0.9% eicosanoic acid (20:1), was epoxidized using hydrogen peroxide as oxygen donor and stearic acid as active oxygen carrier in the presence of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B. The effect of the amount of stearic acid on the enzymatic epoxidation was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to study and optimize the effects of variables (reaction temperature, enzyme load, mole ratio of H₂O₂/CC-bonds, and reaction time) on the epoxy oxygen group content (EOC) of epoxidized SMSO. Results showed that stearic acid as active oxygen carrier could enhance the enzymatic epoxidation of SMSO. The variables of reaction temperature and enzyme load were the most significant in the process. A two second-order model was satisfactorily fitted the data (R² = 0.9723) with non-significant lack of fit. The optimum EOC of epoxidized SMSO was 4.6 ± 0.3% under the conditions of 50.0 °C, 7.0 h, 2.00% (relative to the weight of SMSO) enzyme load, and 4:1 mole ratio of H₂O₂/CC-bonds.     

Characteristics, chemical composition and utilisation of Albizia julibrissin seed oil

The physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid and triacylglycerol compositions, DSC profile and UV/vis spectrum of oil extracted from Albizia julibrissin seeds were determined in this study. The oil content and the moisture of the seeds were 10.50% and 1.56%. The free fatty acid, the peroxide value, the p-anisidine value, the saponification value, the iodine value were 2.54%, 6.61 mequiv. O₂/kg of oil, 1.98, 190.63 (mg KOH/g) and 111.33 (g/100 g of oil), respectively. The specific extinction coefficients K₂₃₂, K₂₆₈ were 7.55 and 0.96, respectively. Linoleic acid (C_18:2, 58.58%), palmitic acid (C₁₆, 13.86%) and oleic acid (C_18:1, 10.47%) were the dominant fatty acids in the A. julibrissin seed oil. LLL (36.87%), OLL (21.62%), PLL (16.69%) and PLO + SLL (8.59%) were the abundant triacylglycerol representing > 83% of the seed oil (L: linoleic, O: oleic, P: palmitic, S: stearic). The DSC melting curves reveal that: melting point = −14.70° C and melting enthalpy = 54.34 J/g. A. julibrissin seed oil showed some absorbance in the UV-B and UV-C ranges. The results of the present analytical study show that A. julibrissin is a promising oilseed crop, which can be used for making soap, hair shampoo and UV protectors. Furthermore, the high level of unsaturated fatty acids makes it desirable in terms of nutrition.     

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction of Nigella sativa L. oil using full factorial design

In this study, Nigella sativa L. oil was extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide with full factorial design to determine the best extraction condition (pressure, temperature and dynamic extraction time) for obtaining an extract with high yield, antioxidant activity and thymoquinone (TQ) quantity. The maximum thymoquinone content in the highest overall yield was achieved through SC-CO₂ extraction condition of 150 bar, 40 °C, 120 min with the value of 4.09 mg/ml. The highest SC-CO₂ extraction yield was 23.20% which obtained through extraction condition of 350 bar, 60 °C and 120 min. The extraction conducted at 350 bar, 50 °C, 60 min showed the lowest IC₅₀ value (highest antioxidant activity) of 2.59 mg/ml using DPPH radical scavenging activity method. Fatty acid composition of the extracted oil with highest radical scavenging activity was obtained by gas chromatographic analysis.     

Dyeing properties and colour fastness of wool dyed with indicaxanthin natural dye

This research work involves the dyeing of wool with indicaxanthin, a natural dye extracted from fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica. The optimal conditions for dye extraction were to mix 50 g of Juice from cactus pears with 100 mL of 80% aqueous ethanol as solvent for dye extraction. Liquid chromatography was applied for the separation. Two main dyes were obtained, which were identified as indicaxanthin (75 mg per 50 g) and betanin (5 mg per 50 g). The effect of dye bath pH, salt concentration, dyeing time and temperature were studied. The optimal conditions for wool dyeing with indicaxanthin dye were carried out at 70 °C for 90 min with the pre-treatment of various metal salts as mordant. The colour yields of the dye on the wool were found to be highly dependent of the pH, optimum results being obtained at pH 4. The K/S of wool increased in the order of the dyeing using KAl (SO₄)₂ > MnSO₄ > CoSO₄ > FeSO₄ > none > ZnSO₄ > CuSO₄. Un-mordanted samples have good properties of water and washing fastness. Mordants KAl (SO₄)₂ and CoSO₄ were found to give good light fastness (rating 5).     

Mechanical and physical properties of expanded starch, reinforced by natural fibres

Biodegradable foams made from potato starch and natural fibres were obtained by extrusion. The effects of varying origins of these fibres on foam properties were studied, as well the relationships between their properties and the foam microstructure. The addition of fibres increased the expansion index and led to a significant reduction in water adsorption of starch foams, generally improving foam properties. The mechanical properties of the foams were affected by both relative humidity (RH) of storage and foam formulation. In general, as the RH increased, the foam strength decreased. The formulation presenting the best mechanical properties contained 10 wt% hemp fibre and had a maximal resistance of 4.14 MPa and a modulus of 228 MPa, corresponding to a more compact and dense microstructure.     

Thermoplastic films from wheat proteins

We show that the wheat proteins gluten, gliadin and glutenin can be compression molded into thermoplastic films with good tensile strength and water stability. Wheat gluten is inexpensive, abundantly available, derived from renewable resource and therefore widely studied for potential thermoplastic applications. However, previous reports on developing thermoplastics from wheat proteins have used high amounts of glycerol (30-40%) and low molding temperature (90-120 °C) resulting in thermoplastics with poor tensile properties and water stability making them unsuitable for most thermoplastic applications. In this research, we have developed thermoplastic films from wheat gluten, gliadin and glutenin using low glycerol concentration (15%) but high molding temperatures (100-150 °C). Our research shows that wheat protein films with good tensile strength (up to 6.7 MPa) and films that were stable in water can be obtained by choosing appropriate compression molding conditions. Among the wheat proteins, wheat gluten has high strength and elongation whereas glutenin with and without starch had high strength and modulus but relatively low elongation. Gliadin imparts good extensibility but decreased the water stability of gluten films. Gliadin films had strength of 2.2 MPa and good elongation of 46% but the films were unstable in water. Although the tensile properties of wheat protein films are inferior compared to synthetic thermoplastic films, the type of wheat proteins and compression molding conditions can be chosen to obtain wheat protein films with properties suitable for various applications.     

Isolation, identification and dyeing studies of betanin on modified acrylic fabrics

Mature red fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica contain two soluble pigment, betanin and indicaxanthin. The optimal conditions for dye extraction were to mix 50 g of juice from cactus pears with 100 mL of acidified water as solvent for dye extraction. Two main dyes were purified from the pigment extract by chromatography and identified by UV-vis, HPLC and LC-MS techniques as indicaxanthin (15 mg per 100 g) and betanin (280 mg per 100 g). The effect of dye bath pH, salt concentration, dyeing time and temperature was studied. The optimal conditions for dyeing modified acrylic fabrics with betanin dye were carried out at 50 °C for 45 min at pH 5. Un-mordanted samples have good properties of water and washing fastness. Mordant CoSO₄ was found to give good light fastness (rating 5).     

New strategies in the preparation of exfoliated thermoplastic starch-montmorillonite nanocomposites

A simple method based on the combination of the intercalation from solution and melt-processing preparation methods was used to prepare highly exfoliated and compatible thermoplastic starch (TPS) and montmorillonite clay (MMT) nanocomposites. The effects of the MMT content on the thermal, structural, and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated. XRD diffraction was used to investigate the MMT exfoliation/intercalation degrees in the TPS matrix. Data from thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the addition of MMT increased the thermal stabilities of TPS nanocomposites. Young's modulus and tensile strength increased from 8.0 to 23.8 MPa and 1.5 to 2.8 MPa with an increasing MMT content from 0 to 5 wt% without diminishing their flexibility. The improvement in such properties can be attributed to the good dispersion/exfoliation of MMT in the TPS matrix. Combining both methods, it was possible to obtain homogenous and transparent nanocomposites with excellent thermal and mechanical properties for application as packaging materials.     

Comprehensive utilization of the hydrolyzed productions from rice hull

The study based on pretreatment, hydrolyzation and separation processes with the raw material rice hull, provides a comprehensive utilization of the hydrolyzed productions, such as glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆) from cellulose, silica (SiO₂), and byproduct crystalline sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄·10H₂O). The optimum hydrolysis conditions are as follows: the concentration of H₂SO₄ is 72% (wt.%), the temperature is 50 °C, the ratio of H₂SO₄ solution volume (mL) to the rice hull mass (g) is 10:1 and the time is 5 min, the glucose yield rate reaches 45.6% (wt.%). The concentration of glucose solution could be 0.1 g/mL after neutralization measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometer (UV-VIS). Silica powder was below 50 nm characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The main byproduct crystalline sodium sulfate was featured by XRD and photographs.     

Composition and molecular structure of polysaccharides released from barley endosperm cell walls by sequential extraction with water,malt enzymes,and alkali

Isolated and purified endosperm cell walls (CW), used in this study, were derived from a Canadian malting barley variety, AC Metcalfe, grown in three different environments in Canada in 2003, and varying in grain protein and β-glucan contents, as well as in grain hardness. The CW were initially extracted with water at 45 °C and subsequently digested with barley malt crude enzyme extract resulting in two fractions designated CW-WE45 and CW-MD, respectively. The remaining non-digested cell wall material (CW_ND) was further fractionated by sequential extraction with water at 95 °C (CW_ND-WE95), saturated barium hydroxide (CW_ND-BaE), and 1 N sodium hydroxide (CW_ND-NaE) at 25 °C. Composition and molecular structure analyses were carried out for all fractions including the remaining cell wall residue (CW_RES). Extraction of CW with water followed by digestion with malt crude enzyme extract solubilized the majority of β-glucans (∼55–70%) and glucomannans (∼60–80%) but only a small portion of arabinoxylans (∼20–30%) present in the intact CW. The CW-WE45 and CW_ND-WE95 fractions consisted mostly of β-glucans exhibiting high average molecular weights (M_w) (2–3 × 10⁶), whereas the CW_ND-BaE consisted mainly of arabinoxylans with M_w about 1–1.5 × 10⁶. The CW_ND-NaE contained almost equal amounts of β-glucans and arabinoxylans and a small amount of glucomannans, whereas the CW_RES contained approximately equal proportions of β-glucans, arabinoxylans and glucomannans. β-Glucans in CW_ND-WE95, CW_ND-NaE, and CW_RES exhibited a higher ratio of 3-O-β-d-cellobiosyl-d-glucose to 3-O-β-d-cellotriosyl-d-glucose (DP3/DP4) compared to β-glucans in CW-WE45 and CW-MD. β-Glucans in CW_ND-NaE showed the highest level of long cellulosic oligosaccharides with DP ≥ 5, whereas those in the CW_RES had the highest DP3/DP4 ratio. The CW-MD was fractionated by ultrafiltration into high (CW-MD_HMW) and low-molecular weight (CW-MD_LMW) sub-fractions, with weight-average M_w of ∼150–350 × 10³ and <10 × 10³, respectively, as confirmed by size-exclusion chromatography. The monosaccharide composition of the sub-fractions indicated a more extended enzymic degradation of β-glucans and glucomannans than arabinoxylans. Some differences in composition and molecular structure of the cell wall constituents among the three barley samples were related to their solubility and enzymic digestibility.