Abstract
In this study, we aimed to dissolve microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with phosphoric acid to obtain high-quality fermentable saccharides. MCC was directly dissolved in phosphoric acid (the concentration was 83%) for 10 hours at temperatures of 30, 50, and 70 °C. The structural changes of MCC were determined in detail with X-ray powder diffraction, solid-state cross-polarization magic angle spinning 13C-NMR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The kinetics of MCC decrystallization during treatment with phosphoric acid was also compared at 30, 50, and 70 °C. With the assumption of first order kinetics, the Arrhenius parameters of K, A0 and Ea were calculated. The rate constants of decrystallization reaction (K) were 0.06, 0.17, and 0.12 h-1 respectively. The pre-exponential factor (A0) was 1.2 × 106 h-1, and the activation energy (Ea) was 42.4 k J/mol.
Highlights
It is well known that petrochemical resources are diminishing and alternatives must be found to produce the energy and chemical materials required by society
Cellulose is the most abundant renewable polymer which can be derived from plant biomass, and its efficacious utilization would represent a significant source of sustainable energy
The results indicated that the higher temperatures increased the rate of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) decrystallization and resulted in lower proportions of crystalline cellulose
Summary
It is well known that petrochemical resources are diminishing and alternatives must be found to produce the energy and chemical materials required by society. In order to meet the growing demand for energy, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) can serve as a sustainable source of renewable fuels and chemicals. Due to its compact crystalline structure which is formed mainly by inter- and intra-molecular hydrogen bonds, cellulose is usually difficult to hydrolyze into fermentable sugars [1]. This highly-ordered cellulose structure is very difficult to dissolve with chemicals or bio-enzymes [2,3,4,5,6], and this rigidity poses a challenge to the efficacious utilization of cellulose. A better method for the decrystallization of lignocellulose is urgently needed for improving its utilization efficiency and producing simple sugars for fermentation to produce ethanol fuel and other bio-based products [7]
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