The question is very specific so let me give the context. I prepared magnesium ferrite nanoparticles doped on carbon and conducted delignification tests with them (using coconut coir fibre as biomass and hydrogen peroxide of 6%w/v). There was one control (without nanoparticles and only peroxide) and three flasks with nanoparticles and peroxide. To assess the delignification, i checked the total phenol content after 24hrs of incubation of the flasks on a shaker using FC reagent colorimetric method. I observed that the absorbance of the control was higher than the flasks with the nanoparticles. What could be the reason behind this? How do I find out why the delignification was less?
According to the web search results, magnesium is the element that can inhibit or reduce delignification. Delignification is the process of removing lignin, a complex organic polymer that binds the cellulose fibers in wood and other plants. Lignin is resistant to degradation and can affect the quality and properties of paper and pulp products. Magnesium can act as a catalyst for the delignification reaction by forming complexes with lignin and facilitating its solubilization and removal. Magnesium can also reduce the consumption of chemicals and energy in the delignification process, as well as improve the brightness and strength of the pulp (see 1 and 2 for more details). Iron and carbon, on the other hand, do not have a significant effect on delignification. Iron can form insoluble compounds with lignin and other organic substances, which can cause scaling and fouling problems in the pulp and paper industry. Carbon can act as a reducing agent and react with oxygen, which can lower the efficiency of the delignification process (see 3 and 4 for more information). Therefore, magnesium is the most suitable element among the three for inhibiting or reducing delignification.
What's about the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by ferrite? As the concentration of H2O2 drops, the delignification process is slowing down. Check the paper "Catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide on fine particle ferrites and cobaltites".
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