Catalytic Production of Sugar and Platform Molecules from Biomass Using Biomass-Derived γ-Valerolactone

Undergraduate #130
Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Materials Science

Alexa González-Rosario - University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Co-Author(s): Oscar Oyola-Rivera and Nelson CardonaMartínez,University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez, Mayagüez, PR

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Sugar cane bagasse, plantain peel and the spent grain from breweries are lignocellulosic wastes from the food industry in Puerto Rico and United States. In this study we characterized and studied the decomposition of sugar cane bagasse, plantain peel and the spent grain from breweries as potential feedstocks for a biorefinery. The waste biomass was characterized using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) standard procedure to characterize biomass. Using this procedure, the water, sucrose, dextrose, lignin and sugar contents was determined. The biomass fractionation was carried out using a flow reactor packed with 2.5 g of biomass using a programmed temperature ramp at 300 psig.The mobile phase was a solution containing 80% γ – Valerolactone (GVL), 20% deionized water and 0.05% of sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The biomass was fractionated to C5 and C6 sugars, principally xylose and glucose. These chemicals are platforms molecules that may be used to produce chemicals of industrial interest. The concentrations of xylose and glucose were 409 mM and 293 mM respectively for sugar cane bagasse while 287 mM and 203 mM for plantain peel; and 83 mM and 148 mM roasted barley. The focus of this works was the deconstruction of biomass with the purpose of obtaining xylose and glucose to convert it to other products of industrial interest.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): We wish to acknowledge NSF for the support through the Nanotechnology Center for Biomedical, Environmental and Sustainability Applications (HRD-1345156) and the Wisconsin-Puerto Rico Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (DMR-0934115) for the financial support.

Faculty Advisor: Nelson Cardona-Martínez,