Potential of Waste Biomass from the Sugar Industry as a Source of Furfural and Its Derivatives for Use as Fuel Additives in Poland

Abstract

Poland is one of the leading producers of sugar from sugar beet in Europe. However, the production of sugar generates large amounts of lignocellulosic waste, in the form of beet pulp and leaves. Currently, this waste is not reutilized in the chemical industry, but is only used as food for farm animals. This paper assesses the potential of using bio-waste from the sugar industry as a raw material for the production of furfurals via acid hydrolysis. Further processing of furfural into derivatives such as furfuryl alcohol (FA) or tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) could increase the economic profitability of the initiative. Furfuryl alcohol can be used as a fuel additive in sugar factories. Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol can be used as a component in agricultural fertilizers, increasing the yield of sugar beet. This approach reduces the amount of post-production waste and brings the sugar industry closer to the concept of a circular economy.

Valorization of Baker Yeast Industry Waste in Agriculture by Improving Germination and Growth of Barley and Pea

“…Furfural is a product of the dehydration of sugars, as occurs in a variety of agricultural and industrial by-products. 21 Furfural derivatives can be used as alternative fuels or fertilizers reducing the amount of waste produced. 21 One of these derivatives is furfuryl ethyl ether which is researched as potential fuel additives and considered even as a potential replacer of petroleum diesel.…”

Critical Assessment of Hydrogen and Methane Production from 1G and 2G Sugarcane Processing Wastes Using One-Stage and Two-Stage Anaerobic Digestion

“…Around 279 million metric tonnes of sugarcane waste are produced worldwide each year by the sugarcane processing industry [1]. Uncontrolled sugarcane waste disposal can have serious negative effects on the environment and, consequently, human health [2]. Figure 1 illustrates the schematic representation of a sugarcane processing industry.…”

Aqueous phase hydrogenation of furfural on Ni/TiO2 catalysts: nature of the support phase steers the product selectivity

“…8 It can be transformed into a wide variety of highly useful chemical intermediates, such as furfuryl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, 2-methylfuran, cyclopentanone, cyclopentanol, pentanediols, etc., through hydrogenation, hydrodeoxygenation, hydrolysis, and rearrangement reactions. They are used for a wide range of applications, such as plasticizers, hypergolic propellents, production of thermoset polymers and foundry resins, fuel additives and green solvents, in the production of fragrance and avour, etc., [9][10][11][12][13] Further transformation of furfural into easily separable or desired products in aqueous medium will be a cost-effective process.…”

“…They are used for a wide range of applications, such as plasticizers, hypergolic propellents, production of thermoset polymers and foundry resins, fuel additives and green solvents, in the production of fragrance and flavour, etc. , 9–13 Further transformation of furfural into easily separable or desired products in aqueous medium will be a cost-effective process.…”