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Furfural from flax straw using sulfonated carbonaceous acid catalyst: parametric and kinetic studies

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Abstract

This study investigates the production of furfural from flax straw biomass through hydrothermal hydrolysis using solid acid catalysts. Specifically, the potential of Glu–TsOH–Zr, Glu–TsOH–Ti, and Glu–TsOH catalysts in furfural production from flax straw biomass and pure xylose was examined. Various characterization techniques such as NH3-TPD, N2-Physisorption, XRD, SEM–EDS, and FTIR were employed to analyze the catalysts’ characteristics. The effect of reaction residence time (0–120 min) and reaction temperature (170–210 °C) on furfural yield was studied. Additionally, the optimal solvent ratio in a two-phase liquid system and the kinetics of the furfural production process were determined. Results showed that the Glu–TsOH–Zr catalyst exhibited increased furfural yield from flax straw without promoting furfural degradation. The catalyst capacity order in the hydrothermal hydrolysis process was found to be Glu–TsOH–Ti > Glu–TsOH–Zr > Glu–TsOH, and these catalysts yielded higher furfural from flax straw compared to previous studies. A first-order irreversible series reaction was identified for furfural production, with temperature having a greater impact on the reaction than the degradation process. The proposed model demonstrated a good fit, with an average absolute deviation of 5.9%. This study presents the kinetics and a comprehensive parametric analysis of a stable and selective sulfonated carbon-based zirconia catalyst for furfural production from flax straw, excluding xylose degradation products. The findings contribute to understanding the potential and limitations of flax straw liquefaction and provide insights for further advancements in catalyzed reactions for renewable fuel production.

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Funding

The financial supports of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC DG: RGPIN-2018-03955), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI JELF: 37758) the Vice President Research Office, and the Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science at the University of Regina provided as gratefully acknowledged. The authors are also grateful to the Clean Energy Technologies Research Institute (CETRI) for granting them access to their research facilities. The authors’ opinions are their own, not necessarily those of our research and funding partners.

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  1. Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Clean Energy Technologies Research Institute (CETRI), Process Systems Engineering, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, S4S 0A2, Canada

    Oluwafadeyinmi Ogundowo, Gullapelli Sadanandam & Hussameldin Ibrahim

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  1. Oluwafadeyinmi Ogundowo
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  2. Gullapelli Sadanandam
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  3. Hussameldin Ibrahim
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Ogundowo, O., Sadanandam, G. & Ibrahim, H. Furfural from flax straw using sulfonated carbonaceous acid catalyst: parametric and kinetic studies. Reac Kinet Mech Cat 136, 2535–2554 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11144-023-02466-0

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