Efficient catalytic conversion of microalgae residue solid waste into lactic acid over a Fe-Sn-Beta catalyst

Meng Xia; Zheng Shen; Minyan Gu; Wenbo Chen; Wenjie Dong; Yalei Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144891

Efficient catalytic conversion of microalgae residue solid waste into lactic acid over a Fe-Sn-Beta catalyst

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jun 1:771:144891. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144891. Epub 2021 Jan 27.

Authors

Meng Xia¹, Zheng Shen², Minyan Gu³, Wenbo Chen⁴, Wenjie Dong⁵, Yalei Zhang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology of Ministry of Education, College of Resource and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumchi 830046, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; National Engineering Research Center of Protected Agriculture, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: shenzheng@tongji.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
⁴ National Engineering Research Center of Protected Agriculture, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
⁵ College of Quality and Safety Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: zhangyalei@tongji.edu.cn.

PMID: 33736128
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144891

Abstract

Microalgae residue was efficiently converted into lactic acid with a high yield (33.9%) under mild reaction conditions (210 °C, 2 h) over a Fe-Sn-Beta catalyst. Under the action of homogeneous H₃O⁺ and distinct Lewis acid sites on the catalyst, the production of lactic acid from microalgae residue underwent three main reaction steps: hydrolysis, isomerization, and retro-aldol condensation. Results demonstrated that the lipid component had a strong inhibitory effect on the production of lactic acid due to the formation of aromatics, esters, and complex nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds, which covered or poisoned the Lewis acid sites of the catalyst. The protein component acted as a chemical buffer that enhanced the production of lactic acid by controlling the release of monosaccharides from the carbohydrate fraction of microalgae and maintaining the catalytic activity of the catalyst. Thus, microalgae residue demonstrated great promise for the production of value-added chemicals.

Keywords: Heterogeneous catalysis; Lactic acid; Microalgae component; Microalgae residue; Solid waste.

MeSH terms

Catalysis
Hydrolysis
Lactic Acid
Microalgae*
Solid Waste

Substances

Solid Waste
Lactic Acid