ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes prospects for the development of chemical products from tree barks as of 1979. Probably the best opportunities for chemical utilization of tree barks the development of specialty polymers that use the polyflavonoids which comprise 30 to 40% of the weig. Tree barks are generally composed of a thin inner bark (phloem) and a layer of outer bark (rhytidome) which are separated by a thin layer called the periderm. Extraction of most tree barks with hot water does not remove significant quantities of carbohydrates. Holocellulose yields provide an estimate of the amounts of water-insoluble carbohydrates present in bark. Cellulose yields, like holocellulose yields, vary widely among the barks of different tree species and are generally about 20 to 40% of the extractive-free bark weight.
