Conversion of wood based hemicellulose prehydrolysate succinic acid using a heterogeneous acid catalayst in a biphasic system

摘要

A novel approach for the conversion of biomass based hemicellulose prehydrolysate to high value succinic acid has been investigated using a heterogeneous acid catalyst, Amberlyst 15 and hydrogen peroxide. A vital intermediate in this process, furfural, was oxidized in a biphasic system to produce succinic acid. Production of furfural in good yields is a limiting step in such processes for a number of reasons. Among the organic solvents evaluated, toluene was found to be an ideal solvent for furfural extraction and facilitated the conversion of furfural to succinic acid. Simultaneous extraction of furfural into the organic solvent as it is produced, increased the overall yield. It was observed that the developed method resulted in a succinic acid yield of 49% from the furfural obtained from hemicellulose prehydrolysate. It was found that 50 mg of Amberlyst 15 per mmole of furfural resulted in 100% FA conversion in less time.