Klason Lignin
Also known as: acid-insoluble lignin, lignin content
The Klason lignin method is a standard chemical test for quantifying the acid-insoluble lignin content in wood and plant biomass. Developed by Erik Klason in 1908, the method treats wood with sulfuric acid to dissolve carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicellulose) while leaving the acid-insoluble lignin residue. Klason lignin is widely used in wood science, pulp chemistry, and biomass characterization to assess wood composition and predict properties.
Key highlights
- Highly standardized (TAPPI T222, NREL/TP-510-42618) and widely used, enabling cross-laboratory comparison
- Provides absolute lignin content as a weight percentage, directly applicable to pulp and biorefinery process design
- Applicable to a broad range of lignocellulosic materials including wood, straw, and agricultural residues
Intuition
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How it works
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When to use it
Use Klason lignin determination when you need to quantify the acid-insoluble lignin fraction in wood or plant biomass, for example to characterize wood composition, assess pulping efficiency, evaluate biomass pretreatment, or compare species in wood chemistry research.
Strengths & limitations
- Highly standardized (TAPPI T222, NREL/TP-510-42618) and widely used, enabling cross-laboratory comparison
- Provides absolute lignin content as a weight percentage, directly applicable to pulp and biorefinery process design
- Applicable to a broad range of lignocellulosic materials including wood, straw, and agricultural residues
- Does not account for acid-soluble lignin, which may be significant in some species (especially softwoods)
- Time-consuming two-step acid hydrolysis procedure with strict temperature and timing requirements
- Protein contamination in non-wood biomass can inflate Klason lignin estimates
Sources
- 1.TAPPI T222 om-15. (2015). Acid-insoluble lignin in wood and pulp. TAPPI Press.
- 2.Sluiter, A., Hames, B., Ruiz, R., et al. (2008). Determination of structural carbohydrates and lignin in biomass. Technical Report NREL/TP-510-42618.
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Cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Klason Lignin. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/forestry/klason-lignin