Furfural production from hydrolysate of barley straw after dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment

Abstract

Lignocellulosic biomass contains various fermentable sugars and versatile compounds, and should be isolated selectively. In this study, a two step process for furfural production is suggested. Dilute acid pretreatment, which solubilizes hemicellulose, was performed on barley straw at 110-190 A degrees C temperature with 0.1-2% sulfuric acid for 2-20 min and a liquid portion of the hydrolysate was utilized. Using this hydrolysate, furfural production was conducted. Approximately 140-200 A degrees C temperature induced the hydrolysis and pyrolysis of the hydrolysate. The initial reaction rate was found to be 2.84x10(-5) mol/L center dot sec at 180 A degrees C when reacted for 5min, 48.5% of theoretical furfural production was obtained, and it was faster than the generally used one step furfural production methods. In addition, a high temperature gradient for pre-heating showed improvement of temperature control.