Combination of solid acid and solvent pretreatment for co-production of furfural, xylooligosaccharide and reducing sugars from Phyllostachys edulis

Abstract

The efficient utilization of biomass resources has gained widespread attention in current research. This study focused on the conversion of hemicellulose into xylo-oligosaccharides and furfural, as well as enhanced cellulose saccharification and lignin removal from residual biomass. The solid acid catalyst AT-Sn-MMT was prepared by sulfonation and tin ion loading of montmorillonite K-10. In a mixture of deep eutectic solvent and γ-valerolactone (3:7, v/v), AT-Sn-MMT was used to catalyze Phyllostachys edulis (PE) at 160 °C for 20 min, obtaining a furfural yield of 85.7 % and 1.5 g/L xylo-oligosaccharides. The delignification of pretreated PE was 59.5 %, reaching an accessibility of 221.3 g dye/g material. While the enzymatic saccharification efficiency was increased to 73.1 %. This work drew on the merits of solid acid catalysts and mixed solvent systems, and this constructed pretreatment method could be efficiently applied for co-production of reducing sugars, xylooligosaccharide and furfural, realizing the efficient valorization of PE.

Keywords: Combination pretreatment; Enzymatic saccharification; Furfural production; Lignocellulose; Reaction solvent.