NunyaBidness on Nostr: Lignin Befuddles Decomposers Wood is a mix of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. ...
Lignin Befuddles Decomposers
Wood is a mix of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
Cellulose is a linear polymer (chain) of glucose molecules. It's decomposition is a piece of cake compared to hemicellulose which has "jaggies" sticking out on the sides of a chain. One might imaging something looking like the cutting chain on a chainsaw. It presents decomposer organisms added difficulty but nothing like lignin.
Lignin is a decomposers worst nightmare. It's not simple and straight. It's not jagged and straight. Lignin is an autistic nightmarish matrix of carbon rings.
If you need a mentor on how to be resilient, look no further. Most enzymes "recognize" specific molecular shapes, lock on to them and start cutting. Not so with lignin. There IS NO specific shape so enzymes are rendered incompetent for the job.
It took white rot fungi millions of years to figure out how to produce peroxidases. If you can't cut it, burn it! Lignin is cracked open by a torrent of free radicals released from these peroxidases.
Wood is a mix of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
Cellulose is a linear polymer (chain) of glucose molecules. It's decomposition is a piece of cake compared to hemicellulose which has "jaggies" sticking out on the sides of a chain. One might imaging something looking like the cutting chain on a chainsaw. It presents decomposer organisms added difficulty but nothing like lignin.
Lignin is a decomposers worst nightmare. It's not simple and straight. It's not jagged and straight. Lignin is an autistic nightmarish matrix of carbon rings.
If you need a mentor on how to be resilient, look no further. Most enzymes "recognize" specific molecular shapes, lock on to them and start cutting. Not so with lignin. There IS NO specific shape so enzymes are rendered incompetent for the job.
It took white rot fungi millions of years to figure out how to produce peroxidases. If you can't cut it, burn it! Lignin is cracked open by a torrent of free radicals released from these peroxidases.