Deriving sugars, platform chemicals, and homogeneous lignin fragments for upgrading using enzymes and microorganisms has long been a challenge due to the mineral acids typically used in the biomass deconstruction step. On the other hand, using heterogeneous, solid-acid catalysts is challenging since often times the surface becomes poisoned by adsorption of furans. By using a biphasic system with gamma-valerolactone (GVL) and water as the solvents, low acid concentrations are required to deconstruct the biomass, furans are removed to the organic layer while the sugars remain in the aqueous layer, and solid-acid catalysts have an extended life. In this work, zeolite 5A beads layered with SAPO-34 were used for the dehydration of xylose to furfural, with preliminary results of up to 50% furfural yields. The 5A layered SAPO-34 bead catalysts are easier to recover, recyclable and have high chemical and thermal stability. The use of GVL provides a greener chemical pathway for value-added chemical production and the biphasic system would potentially allow for the use of microorganisms with fewer challenges than using traditional aqueous/hydrothermal media.

Mild pretreatment conditions resulting in reduced impurities, lower acidity, and high furan yields from biomass using heterogenous catalysts

256th National Meeting (2018)

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