Evaluation of the Chemical Composition of Woody Plants, Including Tree Species Recommended for Afforestation

Abstract

The chemical composition of 86 species of native plants in Korea, including plants to be afforestation, was analyzed. The chemicalcomposition of the species analyzed was different. The species with the highest extractable content was Viburnum dilatatum (3.91%),and the species with the lowest extractable content was Ligustrum lucidum (0.11%). The lignin content ranged from 12 to 39%, withan average of 25%. The species with the highest lignin content was Chaenomeles lagenaria (39.37%). Hemicellulose content rangedfrom 18 to 52%, with the highest species being Thuja occidentalis (51.22%) and Eucommia ulmoides (48.84%). Cellulose content rangedfrom 25 to 58%, and the species with the highest content were Prunus serrulata (57.67%), Diospyros kaki (57.14%), Aesculus turbinata(53.29%), Albizia julibrissin (53.02%), and Zelkova serrata (52.29%). The chemical composition was different for each use taxon of86 plant species. The lignin content was the highest in the fruit group and the lowest in the group other than recommended speciesfor afforestation. Cellulose content was highest in non-reforestation-recommended tree species and lowest in fruit trees. In classificationaccording to tree height, lignin content was higher in shrubs than in tall trees, and cellulose content was highest in tall trees. Betweendeciduous and evergreen trees, the lignin content was high in deciduous trees (26.46%), and the cellulose content was also high indeciduous trees (44.01%). As a result of analyzing the correlation between each compound, there was a difference. There tended tobe a positive correlation between extractives and lignin content. There was a negative correlation between extractives and holocellulosecontent, hemicellulose and cellulose. The higher extract content affected the cellulose content much more than hemicellulose. Also, thehigher the lignin content, the lower the cellulose content. The species with low lignin content and high cellulose content were Diospyroskaki and Prunus serrulata var. spontanea. This result is expected to be primary data for bioenergy, pulp industry and bioindustry.