Agro‐industrial wastes are used as carbon precursors in the production of activated carbon because they are rich in lignocellulosic materials. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the main characteristics of precursor materials and activated carbons by multivariate analysis. After characterization of the precursor materials and their respective carbons, the principal component analysis and canonical correlation analysis were performed. Materials with cellulose/lignin ratio > 3.0 led to the production of carbons with a higher pore diameter, while materials with a cellulose/lignin ratio ≤ 1.0 led to a low pore volume. Using the mathematical models obtained, it is possible to predict the carbon characteristics using only the composition data of the lignocellulosic materials.

The use of macroporous monolithic matrices in the purification of biocompounds is constantly growing and developing. In this work, the objective was to optimize the quantity of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (D-GlcNAc) immobilized on the surface of macroporous polymeric cryogels for capture of lectins from less clarified solutions. Surface response methodology was applied and it was observed that the immobilization temperature of the glutaraldehyde (GLU) and the D-GlcNAc concentration influenced the amount of sugar immobilized. The matrices produced with 1.1% of allyl glycidyl ether were functionalized by GLU. Optimal maximum condition was obtained with mean value of 160.39 AE 26.38 mg of D-GlcNAc immobilized per gram of dry cryogel. Characterization analyses of the matrices showed that the activation process was effective, maintaining the macroporous structure and physical characteristics. The adsorbents produced were tested for capture of lectins from a crude protein solution of barley. At tested conditions, adsorbent capture around 11% of protein in solution but reduce the hemaglutinating capacity in 40%, demonstrating its selectivity. The cryogels functionalized with D-GlcNAc present potential for use in capture compounds by affinity with carbohydrates, such as lectins.