Straw is an agricultural by product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops
such as wheat, rice, barley, oat and rye. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and paper-making. It is usually gathered and stored in a straw
bale, which is a bundle of tightly bound with twine or wire. Bales may be square, rectangular, or round, depending on the type of balers used.
Chemical Composition of Wheat Straw and Softwood/Hardwood
Cell wall Composition (% of dry weight)
Wheat Straw
Softwood
Hardwood
Stalk
Node
Leaf
Cellulose (%)
40.0
40.0
35.0
42.0
42.0
Hemicellulose
(%)
45.0
40.0
55.0
28.0
35.0
Lignin (%)
15.0
20.0
10.0
30.0
23.0
Cell Wall, Silica and Extractive Content of Wheat Straw
and Softwood/Hardwood
Plant Composition (% of dry weight)
Wheat Straw
Softwood
Hardwood
Stalk
Node
Leaf
Cell Wall
90.0
79.0
76.0
95.0
93.0
Silica
3.0
8.0
11.0
<0.5
<0.5
Extractives
7.0
13.0
13.0
4.5
6.5
Cell Characteristics of Wheat Straw and Softwood/Hardwood