Levulinic acid obtention from lignocellulosic waste of agroforestry-industrial of different origins

Abstract

Worldwide, since last decade levulinic acid (LA) was one of the most sought-after chemical precursors. Lignocellulosic waste of agroforestry-industrial origin like rice hulk, sawdust, and cotton stubble are pointed as raw material for this work, at the same time those lignocellulosic wastes are abundant in Argentina´s northeastern. Report about the evaluation of LA obtention reaction using different raw materials obtained in different treatment steps and maintaining the same operation conditions is the main objective of this work. This objective aims to demonstrate the technical feasibility to obtain LA from a lignocellulosic waste biorefinery scheme. The reaction was running in a cylindrical steel reactor (AISI 316) provided with a manometer and a security valve to ensure the maximum pressure work. The reactor was heated indirectly in a heat-resistant silicone bath. The raw material used were rice hulk (pretreated to extract hemicellulose, lignin, and inorganic compounds), Prosopis nigra sawdust (pretreated to extract lignin and others), and cotton stubble (two fractions one rich in the ground cotton husk and other rich in cotton fiber).