Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the use of softwood and hardwood waste for the production of levulinic acid by one-stage conversion using microwave radiation combined with acid catalysis. The analysis demonstrated that the type and concentration of the acid used, the concentration of biomass in the reaction mixture and pressure value had the greatest impact on the yield of levulinic acid. The highest efficiency of carbohydrate conversion to levulinic acid, regardless of the type of raw material, was achieved using a pressure of 225 PSI and sulfuric acid as a catalyst. Maximum yield from biomass, ca. 16.5% for cherry wood chips and ca. 25% for pine chips, was obtained using sulfuric acid at a concentration of 1% v/v and 2% v/v, respectively, for the following process parameters: Exposure time 20 min, biomass concentration 3.3%, and the pressure of 225 PSI. The ratio of actual yield to theoretical yield was high: 64.7% ± 4.5% for pine chips and 43.4% ± 1.0% for cherry wood chips. High efficiency of the presented method of biomass conversion to levulinic acid indicates the possibility of its use for waste management in the wood processing industry. High concentration of levulinic acid in the post-reaction mixture allows for cost-effective extraction and purification of the compound.
Highlights
One of the main directions of waste lignocellulosic biomass management is its thermochemical conversion to biofuels like hydrogen, biogas, syngas obtained in pyrolysis, gasification, carbonization, hydrothermal liquefaction and bioconversion to ethanol [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
We evaluated the suitability of microwave radiation in various process conditions using different mineral acids for the production of levulinic acid from two types of waste wood chips: Softwood and hardwood
In the first stage of the study, experiments were conducted to determine the influence of pressure during microwave processing on efficiency of LA production from pine wood cellulose, using various process parameters
Summary
One of the main directions of waste lignocellulosic biomass management is its thermochemical conversion to biofuels like hydrogen, biogas, syngas obtained in pyrolysis, gasification, carbonization, hydrothermal liquefaction and bioconversion to ethanol [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. The use of non-wood waste biomass, such as corn stover, rye or rice straw, as a raw material for the production of second-generation bioethanol, does not encounter any major technological problems, provided that appropriate pretreatment and optimization methods are selected and highly active cellulolytic enzymes are applied [8,9,10]. Biotechnological management of softwood and hardwood waste still encounters problems. These wastes contain, respectively, 45%–50% and 40%–55% w/w cellulose, 25%–35% and 24%–40% w/w hemicellulose and 25%–35% and 18%–25% w/w lignin, which are difficult to bio-convert to ethanol [11,12]. An alternative method of utilizing wood waste may be the production of other high added-value compounds, e.g., levulinic acid, which in 2004 was recognized by the United
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