Co-solvent pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass and conversion of hydrolysis products by catalytic hydrothermal reforming to valuable chemicals
Project no. 23031 · Status: Kapanmış · 2021
Summary
<p>Cellulose, one of the basic building blocks of biomass, is the most abundant natural polymeric substance on earth and is mainly used as a raw material in paper manufacturing. Difficulties in dissolving cellulose limit its use in many chemical applications. Cellulose is insoluble in water and requires the use of organic solvents or inorganic acids for dissolution. New techniques for the development of cellulose solubilization strategies have led to the development of this material as a source of green material for the recovery of platform chemicals, additive for composite, use for coatings, etc. It will expand its use in different applications.</p><p>In this study, the hydrolysis of cellulose in the structure of almond shells into sugar was examined by chemical pre-treatments using different solvents and co-solvents such as water and water-ethyl acetate, water-acetone, water-acetonitrile mixture (water, ethyl acetate, acetone, and acetonitrile in water at a ratio of 1: 1). Reaction conditions such as temperature and solid/solvent ratio were kept constant at 180 °C and 2 g solid/18 mL solvent, respectively. Experiments were carried out for periods of 20, 40 and 60 minutes. Quantitative analysis of aqueous products was carried out on the HPLC device. According to these results, the highest hydrolysis yields were obtained with acetonitrile and ethyl acetate co-solvents at 40 and 60 min of reaction times. In the experiment conducted with almond shell in the presence of HCl catalyst, lower product yields were obtained, and it was determined that pre-treatment with auxiliary solvents increased the product yield. It was observed that the sample obtained in the experiment with co-solvent turned into a gas product rich in hydrogen and methane, which was subjected to hydrothermal treatment in the presence of methanol. Structural degradation of lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose was qualitatively examined using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).</p><p> </p>