This work demonstrates the production of value added phenolics and aromatics via UV photocatalysis of lignin–TiO2 mixtures prepared by wet ball milling using different solvents.
In this study, rice
straw and sugar cane bagasse were pretreated
using a novel imidazole:poly(ethylene glycol) (IPEG) solvent at temperatures
between 120 and 200 °C for 1 h. The pretreatment using IPEG with
molecular weight of PEG of 200 g/mol (IPEG200) resulted in 83% and
92% of xylan from rice straw and bagasse, respectively, being converted
to furfural. The solubility of xylan was highest in IPEG200, which
had higher hydrogen bonding acidity, hydrogen bonding basicity, and
polarizability. The yield of glucose from pretreated residues via
enzymatic hydrolysis was highest for rice straw treated with IPEG200
(27%) compared to the untreated sample (9%). Pretreatment of sugar
cane bagasse using IPEG200 resulted in higher yield of furan derivatives
(600 g/kg) compared to that from rice straw. The pyrolysates from
the enzymatic hydrolysis residues contained a significantly lower
amount of carboxylic acid and furan derivatives due to the removal
of hemicellulose during the pretreatment process.
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