The urgency to identify and develop sustainable and timely solutions for our future society has been recently demonstrated by the alarming trends in irreversible climate changes due to increasing greenhouse gas emission. Thus, the finite fossil fuel reserves need to be replaced by alternative bio-based chemicals as fast as possible. So far, hemicelluloses are not exploited as a sustainable raw material for high value applications. They are currently used as low value energy carrier in the chemical pulp production. Therefore our research aims at the valorization of hemicelluloses from a kraft pulping side stream to platform chemicals.  Xylose, the monomeric unit of wood-based xylan is used as a model compound for our in-depth kinetic evaluation studies. The kinetics of non-catalyzed and acid-catalyzed conversion of xylose to furfural and the concomitant formation of decomposition products was studied for the first time by microwave-assisted reaction in the temperature range from 180 to 220�C. The effects of initial xylose concentration and the acidity of the aqueous solution were investigated in a comprehensive mechanistic modeling study including thermodynamic considerations. The formation of xylulose, an important intermediate compound, has been taken into account in the process modeling.  The results obtained in research will lead to a better understanding of reaction mechanisms and the development of novel effective catalyst systems.

Mechanistic studies of furfural formation from xylose in catalyzed and non-catalyzed microwave-assisted reactions

247th National Meeting (2014)

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