Microwave-assisted conversion of novel biomass materials into levulinic acid

Abstract

Levulinic acid is considered as one the most important platform chemicals. It is currently produced mainly from lignocellulosic biomasses. However, there are also other abundant biomass materials, which could be used as raw materials for levulinic acid production. In this work levulinic acid was produced from two novel biomasses in the presence of Brønsted (H 2 SO 4) and Lewis acid (CrCl 3. 6H 2 O or AlCl 3. 6H 2 O) catalysts. The studied materials were carbohydrate-rich potato peel waste and sporocarps of the fungus Cortinarius armillatus. Reaction conditions, i.e. time, temperature, H 2 SO 4 and Lewis acid concentrations, were studied by utilizing full 2 4-factorial experimental designs. Microwave irradiation was used as the heating method. Based on the results the reaction temperature and the H 2 SO 4 concentration had the greatest impact on the yield of levulinic acid. The highest yield obtained in this study from potato peel waste was 49% with 180ºC for reaction temperature, 15 min for reaction time and 0.5 and 0.0075 M for the concentrations of H 2 SO 4 and CrCl 3 , respectively. When Cortinarius armillatus was used as the raw material the highest yield was 62% with 180ºC for reaction temperature, 40 min for reaction time and 0.5 and 0.0075 M for the concentrations of H 2 SO 4 and CrCl 3 , respectively.

Single-step extraction–esterification process to produce biodiesel from palm oil mill effluent (POME) using microwave heating: a circular economy approach to making use of a difficult waste product

“…The runs exhibiting zero FAME were almost exclusively characterized by the low H 2 SO 4 concentration stressing the importance of acid in the esterification component of the extractionesterification process occurring in the microwave vessel. This trend is also observed in similar extraction/reaction experiments [30,31]. In terms of the fatty acid concentration, relating to the extraction component of the extractionesterification process, the highest concentrations of FA were also found from runs utilizing the maximum values for methanol:heptane volume ratio and H 2 SO 4 concentration suggesting a role for both the acid and methanol in the initial extraction of the fatty acid from the POME matrix.…”

Microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatments for biomass valorisation: a critical review

“…These diminishments indicated that higher temperatures reduced the reaction time required to reach equilibrium conditions. Nevertheless, Lappalainen et al 160 demonstrated that the reaction time must be controlled carefully. At 180 o C, the LA yield obtained at 40 min was higher than that with a 50 min processing time, due to the decomposing of LA when prolonged reaction times are used.…”

Mini-Review on the Synthesis of Furfural and Levulinic Acid from Lignocellulosic Biomass

“…As high as a 56% LA yield could be obtained at 180 • C for 60 min in 0.3 M H 2 SO 4 and 7.5 mM CrCl 3 . In addition, potato peel waste and Cortinarius armillatus were also efficiently transformed into LA under the similar reaction conditions with the yields of 49% and 62%, respectively [98]. Bamboo biomass, rubber wood, and palm oil frond were directly converted in LA using dicationic acidic ionic liquids, with a higher yield of LA (47.5%) from bamboo biomass at 110 • C for 60 min [99].…”