Abstract
Pentose dehydration and direct transformation of xylan into furfural were performed in a water-cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) biphasic system under microwave irradiation. Heated up between 170 and 190 °C in the presence of Nafion NR50 and NaCl, d-xylose, l-arabinose and xylan gave furfural with maximum yields of 80%, 42% and 55%, respectively. The influence of temperature and reaction time on the reaction kinetics was discussed. This study was also completed by the survey of different reactant ratios, such as organic layer-water or catalyst-inorganic salt ratios. The exchange between proton and cation induced by an excess of NaCl was monitored, and a synergetic effect between the remaining protons and the released HCl was also discovered.
Highlights
Because of the depletion of fuel-based resources, there is an urgent need to find alternative feedstocks for the chemical industry
The industrial production of furfural is realized by batch and continuous acid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass [2] into D-xylose followed by its dehydration leading to furfural
The studies of the dehydration of D-xylose were conducted for 1 h between 130 and 180 ◦ C in the presence of NaCl (95 mg) and two Nafion NR50 pellets in a biphasic mixture under microwave irradiation (Figure 1)
Summary
Because of the depletion of fuel-based resources, there is an urgent need to find alternative feedstocks for the chemical industry. Lignocellulosic biomass, plant wastes for example, appears to be the best alternative to get access to various bio-based chemicals, such as furan derivatives. One of these top-value materials is furfural, largely produced from the dehydration of D-xylose, the main monomer of hemicellulose-rich biomass. The industrial production of furfural is realized by batch and continuous acid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass [2] into D-xylose followed by its dehydration leading to furfural. Both acid hydrolysis and subsequent dehydration of lignocellulosic biomass are usually carried out in the same reactor, and that dehydration is recognized as the rate-limiting step
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