OZONIZATION OF ORGANOSOLVOLYTIC EXTRACTS OF AUTOHYDROLIZATED CORNSTALK (ZEA-MAYS) - INFLUENCE OF OZONE CONCENTRATION AND FLOW

The ozonization of a cornstalk lignin (Zea mays) in solution, obtained by an organosolvolytic treatment of an autohydrolizated metal with st eam explosion, has been studied in several experiments. In this work, it has been investigated the influence of ozone concentration and flow on the development of the main reaction products. The use of gas chro matography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatograp hy/FID has allowed the identification and quantification of the follow ing compounds by means of the internal standard method: glycolic, oxal ic, malonic, glyoxilic, malic, p-hydroxibenzoic and vainilic acids, p- hydroxibenzoic, vainilic and syringic aldehydes and hydroquinone. The main aromatic compound to be identified is the p-hydroxibenzaldehyde, and that means that corn lignin is rich in phenylpropane units of p-hy droxiphenyl type.