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Effects of Soluble Lignin on the Formic Acid‐Catalyzed Formation of Furfural: A Case Study for the Upgrading of Hemicellulose
Author(s) -
Dussan Karla,
Girisuta Buana,
Lopes Marystela,
Leahy James J.,
Hayes Michael H. B.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201501415
Subject(s) - furfural , lignin , chemistry , formic acid , hemicellulose , xylose , sawdust , organic chemistry , arabinose , xylan , cellulose , catalysis , fermentation
A comprehensive study is presented on the conversion of hemicellulose sugars in liquors obtained from the fractionation of Miscanthus, spruce bark, sawdust, and hemp by using formic acid. Experimental tests with varying temperature (130–170 °C), formic acid concentration (10–80 wt %), carbohydrate concentrations, and lignin separation were carried out, and experimental data were compared with predictions obtained by reaction kinetics developed in a previous study. The conversions of xylose and arabinose into furfural were inherently affected by the presence of polymeric soluble lignin, decreasing the maximum furfural yields observed experimentally by up to 24 %. These results were also confirmed in synthetic mixtures of pentoses with Miscanthus and commercial alkali lignin. This observation was attributed to side reactions involving intermediate stable sugar species reacting with solubilized lignin during the conversion of xylose into furfural.