<br/>Cellulosic ethanol can be produced from lignocelluloses through the fermentation of hexose and pentose sugars. The lignocelluloses are inherently recalcitrant to enzymatic attacks, which necessitates a chemical pretreatment to disrupt the structure and create more accessibility for cellulose to cellulolytic enzymes. However, the hexose and pentose sugars can be respectively degraded into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural, which can inhibit cell replication and thus decrease the ethanol production. Therefore, it is very important to mitigate furfural and HMF. On the other hand, furfural and HMF are valuable chemicals, and therefore could provide value if easily separated.<br/>This study demonstrated the effective adsorption and recovery of furfural and HMF by cross-linked polyethylenimine (CPEI). The results showed that the adsorption was very dependent on the furfural or HMF concentration, CPEI dosage, and pH. The CPEI showed the exclusive adsorption of furfural and HMF without the adsorption of the fermentable sugars (glucose and xylose). The presence of organic acids such as formic, acetic, and levulinic acids could interfere with the adsorption of furfural and HMF. The adsorbed furfural and HMF can be recovered through acid treatments as valuable chemicals, and the spent CPEI can be readily separated and regenerated with base treatment for reuse.

Effective adsorption and recovery of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural by cross-linked polyethylenimines

255th National Meeting (2018)

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