Experimental and Mathematical Simulation of Noncompetitive and Competitive Adsorption Dynamic of Formic Acid–Levulinic Acid–5-Hydroxymethylfurfural from Single, Binary, and Ternary Systems in a Fixed-Bed Column of SY-01 Resin

Abstract

Levulinic acid (LA) is a versatile platform chemical in the modern concept of the biorefinery and can be used to synthesize a broad range of desirable chemicals and fuel additives. Unfortunately, because LA released from biomass hydrolysate is accompanied by formic acid (FA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), it is also important to investigate the binary and ternary adsorption equilibrium, as well as competitive dynamic fixed-bed column adsorption from the viewpoint of industrial application. Batch adsorption experiments showed that the affinity of SY-01 resin toward FA–LA–5-HMF were in the order of 5-HMF > LA > FA under noncompetitive and competitive systems. The highest adsorption capacity were 7.54 mg/g wet resin for FA, 103.51 mg/g wet resin for LA, and 107.73 mg/g wet resin for 5-HMF. Interestingly, the presence of FA has a synergistic effect on the adsorption of LA and 5-HMF onto SY-01 resin in a binary- or ternary-mixtures system, leading to a slight increase in adsorption uptakes. Furthermore, ...