Separation of glucose and bioethanol in biomass with current methods and sorbents

J Chromatogr Sci. 2013 Sep;51(8):819-24. doi: 10.1093/chromsci/bmt044. Epub 2013 Apr 12.

Abstract

Glucose is primarily derived from plant metabolism; it is the primary source of energy for cellular respiration in living organisms. Bioethanol, which is used as fuel, can be obtained from the fermentation of biomass. This article summarizes the current methods of separating glucose and bioethanol. Glucose is generally analyzed by liquid chromatography using a range of sorbents. In the fermentation broth of glucose, the primary produced compound, ethanol, is dissolved in water. Nevertheless, ethanol should be separated to obtain high purity. Distillation is a widely used method and ionic liquids are added to ethanol-water systems to increase separation efficiency. This review discusses the application of new materials (based on silica and membrane) in the separation of ethanol from ethanol-water systems.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomass*
  • Chromatography, Gas / methods*
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods*
  • Ethanol / isolation & purification*
  • Fermentation
  • Glucose / isolation & purification*
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Water
  • Ethanol
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • Glucose