Estudios de adsorción y desorción de furfural empleando carbón activo y Amberlite XAD-4

Abstract

The valorisation of solid agricultural waste remains a current challenge. The concept of a biorefinery arises from increasing concerns about environmental issues, as it is an efficient and sustainable way to produce valuable organic compounds from lignocellulosic byproducts, thereby maximizing their value. Corn is the most widely produced cereal globally, and Spain contributes approximately four million tons. Additionally, it is estimated that by 2030, global production of this cereal will increase by 160 million tons, reaching 1.3 billion tonnes. Corn stover has a high content of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin, making it a good raw material for the production of furfural. Furfural is a heterocyclic organic compound identified as a platform chemical with various subsequent applications: as an extractant, fungicide, raw material in the synthesis of various chemicals, and as a flavour and fragrance enhancer in the food industry. It is also a precursor to many other compounds of interest, such as succinic acid and furfuryl alcohol. Furfural is produced from the hydrolysis of hemicellulose, generally through acid hydrolysis and dehydration of xylose. This study analysed the selective recovery of furfural from corn stover subcritical water hydrolysates using an adsorption/desorption process, which are more environmentally and economically sustainable hydrolysis and purification methods. Specifically, this work evaluated the effect of the type of adsorbent, the mass/volume ratio, and the presence of impurities (mainly xylose and carboxylic acids) on the furfural adsorption yield, as well as compared batch and fixed bed treatments. After the study, under optimal working conditions (5 g of XAD-4, 75 ml of furfural hydrolysate, adsorption process at 25°C for 60 min, desorption process at 50°C for 30 min, and in a fixed bed), the results showed that the most selective adsorbent for furfural recovery was the Amberlite XAD-4 polymeric resin, with a furfural recovery from the corn waste subcritical water hydrolysate of 66.2% and a purity close to 91.3%.

The valorisation of solid agricultural waste remains a current challenge. The concept of a biorefinery arises from increasing concerns about environmental issues, as it is an efficient and sustainable way to produce valuable organic compounds from lignocellulosic byproducts, thereby maximizing their value. Corn is the most widely produced cereal globally, and Spain contributes approximately four million tons. Additionally, it is estimated that by 2030, global production of this cereal will increase by 160 million tons, reaching 1.3 billion tons. Corn agricultural waste, such as stalks and leaves, have a high content of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin, making them a good raw material as biomass for the production of furfural. Furfural is a heterocyclic organic compound identified as a platform chemical with various subsequent applications: as an extractant, fungicide, raw material in the synthesis of various chemicals, and as a flavor and fragrance enhancer in the food industry. It is also a precursor to many other compounds of interest, such as succinic acid and furfuryl alcohol. Furfural is produced from the hydrolysis of hemicellulose, generally through acid hydrolysis and dehydration of xylose.This study analyzed the selective recovery of furfural from corn waste subcritical water hydrolysates using an adsorption/desorption process, which are more environmentally and economically sustainable hydrolysis and purification methods. Specifically, this work evaluated the effect of the type of adsorbent, the mass/volume ratio, and the presence of impurities (mainly xylose and carboxylic acids) on the furfural adsorption yield, as well as compared batch and fixed bed treatments. After the study, under optimal working conditions (5 g of XAD-4, 75 ml of furfural hydrolysate, adsorption process at 25°C for 60 min, desorption process at 50°C for 30 min, and in a fixed bed), the results showed that the most selective adsorbent for furfural recovery was the Amberlite XAD-4 polymeric resin, with a furfural recovery from the corn waste subcritical water hydrolysate of 66.2% and a purity close to 91.3%.