Metal ions as co-catalysts to facilitate chemical reactions have been reported in many researches. Recently developed ferrous ion co-catalyst enhancement of dilute-acid pretreatment of biomass is a promising technology for enhancing sugar release from recalcitrant lignocellulosic biomass. However, the mechanism of this enhancement is not fully understood yet. Due to the reductive status of ferrous ion and its susceptibility to oxidation with exposure to atmosphere, its application presumably requires an anaerobic working station in an anaerobic environment created by N2 gas-purging, which adds extra cost. To simply the whole process and to reduce the cost, tests were conducted using the oxidative Fe ion, i.e., ferric ion, instead of ferrous ion as co-catalyst. Herein the objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of ferric ion as a co-catalyst in dilute acid pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Remarkably, the ferric ions were found to be as efficient as ferrous ions in enhancing sugar release during dilute acid pretreatment of biomass, which may be attributed to, for the first time, the observation that most of the initial added Fe3+ ions were converted to Fe2+ during pretreatment. Such conversion of Fe3+ to Fe2+ is likely to be caused by the reducing power in biomass materials or intermediate products liberated during acid pretreatment. Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide was detected in the hydrolysates, indicating the likely involvement of oxi-reductive reaction during the pretreatment. These results will not only help us understand the multi-mechanisms of metal ion-enhancement in acid pretreatment of biomass, but also help with further improvement and application of this technology.

Fe ions, co-catalysts enhancing sugar release from recalcitrant lignocellulosic biomass in dilute-acid pretreatment

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.