Steam Explosion Techniques Fundamentals and Industrial Applications : Proceedings of the International Workshop on Steam Explosion Techniques: Fundamentals and Industrial Applications, Milan, Italy, 20-21 October 1988

Steam explosion is a rapidly developing technique for the fractionation and modification of lignocellulosics and for the extraction of industrial polysaccharides. This book is a primary integrated presentation of the fundamental and technological aspects of this process and provides an exhaustive discussion of its prospects for the future. The main topics concern the kinetic and engineering aspects as well as the structure modifications of the substrates, induced by the steam explosion process.;Applications in the pulping and textile industries, in the bioconversion of wood and agricultural biomass, and in polysaccharide extraction are widely discussed. Potential developments of this technique in the activation of lignocellulosics for dissolving and the production of new textile fibers and films are also considered.;The book is intended for chemists, biologists and engineers working on fundamental aspects and industrial developments in the areas of lignocellulosic materials and industrial polysaccharide exploitation, as well as students in those fields.