Production of Furfural from Process-Relevant Biomass-Derived Pentoses in a Biphasic Reaction System

Abstract

Furfural is an important fuel precursor which can be converted to hydrocarbon fuels and fuel intermediates. In this work, the production of furfural by dehydration of process-relevant pentose rich corn stover hydrolyzate using a biphasic batch reaction system has been investigated. Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) and toluene have been used to extract furfural and enhance overall furfural yield by limiting its degradation to humins. The effects of reaction time, temperature, and acid concentration (H 2 SO 4 ) on pentose conversion and furfural yield were investigated. For the dehydration of 8 wt % pentose-rich corn stover hydrolyzate under optimum reaction conditions, 0.05 M H 2 SO 4 , 170 °C for 20 min with MIBK as the solvent, complete conversion of xylose (98−100%) and a furfural yield of 80% were obtained. Under these same conditions, except with toluene as the solvent, the furfural yield was 77%. Additionally, dehydration of process-relevant pentose rich corn stover hydrolyzate using solid acid ion-exchange resins under optimum reaction conditions has shown that Purolite CT275 is as effective as H 2 SO 4 for obtaining furfural yields approaching 80% using a biphasic batch reaction system. This work has demonstrated that a biphasic reaction system can be used to process biomass-derived pentose rich sugar hydrolyzates to furfural in yields approaching 80%.

Enhanced Conversion of Xylan into Furfural using Acidic Deep Eutectic Solvents with Dual Solvent and Catalyst Behavior

“…Furfural can be produced from xylose by acid dehydration, which in turn can be obtained from hemicelluloses, one of the three main fractions of lignocellulosic biomass . Furfural can also be produced from xylans and whole biomass . The first industrial furfural production process dates back to 1921, with the Quaker Oats batch process using oat hulls .…”

Recent Advances in the Catalytic Production of Platform Chemicals from Holocellulosic Biomass

“…Therefore, FUR would be protected in the organic solvent and hence avoid losses by humin formation, and FUR yield would be improved . Several publications have reported the addition of methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF), toluene, cyclohexanol, tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO),,, cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME),, and the widely used toluene,, as efficient co‐solvents for the formation of FUR from xylose. IL have also been used to back up hemicellulose depolymerization .…”

Production of Furan Compounds from Sugarcane Bagasse Using a Catalytic System Containing ZnCl2/HCl or AlCl3/HCl in a Biphasic System

“…By contrast, furfural yields from steam-exploded bagasse were stoichiometric for both catalytic systems, therefore revealing the beneficial effect of pretreatment on hemicellulose conversion, which includes deacetylation, partial hydrolysis and swelling from their tight association with cellulose and lignin in the original material. [4][5][6][7] In terms of mass yields, α-cellulose was the cellulosic matrix that produced more furan compounds, which corresponded to 33.1% for ZnCl 2 /HCl and 38.3% for AlCl 3 /HCl (Figure 4). These higher mass yields were related to the low crystallinity and absence of lignin in this cellulosic material.…”

“…One of the most interesting pretreatment technique is steam explosion, which combines chemical and physical processes to deconstruct the plant cell wall associative structure. 5,6 For this, the biomass is treated with saturated steam at temperatures between 170-230 °C for 2 to 30 min in the absence or presence of an exogenous catalyst. 7 The main feature of steam explosion is the total or partial acid hydrolysis of hemicelluloses to produce mono and oligosaccharides, which are intermediate chemicals for a variety of value-added products.…”

“…5,[14][15][16] These systems avoid the main side-reactions in dehydration, such as rehydration to produce levulinic and formic acids and condensation of furan derivatives to produce a dark insoluble solid residue called humins. 17,18 The best choice for the production of furan compounds is the use of a biphasic system that is formed by an aqueous phase (reaction solvent) and an organic phase (extraction solvent).…”