Abstract
Levulinic acid (LA) is a new versatile platform chemical derived from renewable non-food biomass. A major challenge in the purification of LA from biomass hydrolysate is the separation of LA and formic acid. A novel granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption and separation of LA and formic acid were investigated in this work. Adsorption equilibria elucidated that LA preferentially adsorbed onto GAC than formic acid. Mixed solution of LA and formic acid was fed into the GAC packed-bed at 30°C, then formic acid was washed out from the column in a pure form with 60°C water and finally LA was effectively eluted with 95% (v/v) ethanol at 60°C. LA can be completely separated from formic acid by this simple GAC adsorption process with good yield and high purity.
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