Production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from starch-rich food waste catalyzed by sulfonated biochar

Leichang Cao; Iris K M Yu; Season S Chen; Daniel C W Tsang; Lei Wang; Xinni Xiong; Shicheng Zhang; Yong Sik Ok; Eilhann E Kwon; Hocheol Song; Chi Sun Poon

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2017.12.098

Production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from starch-rich food waste catalyzed by sulfonated biochar

Bioresour Technol. 2018 Mar:252:76-82. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.12.098. Epub 2017 Dec 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
² Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
³ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: dan.tsang@polyu.edu.hk.
⁴ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁵ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Korea Biochar Research Center, O-Jeong Eco-Resilience Institute (OJERI) & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁶ Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea.

PMID: 29306134
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.12.098

Abstract

Sulfonated biochar derived from forestry wood waste was employed for the catalytic conversion of starch-rich food waste (e.g., bread) into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Chemical and physical properties of catalyst were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, and elemental analysis. The conversion of HMF was investigated via controlling the reaction parameters such as catalyst loading, temperature, and reaction time. Under the optimum reaction conditions the HMF yield of 30.4 Cmol% (i.e., 22 wt% of bread waste) was achieved in the mixture of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)/deionized-water (DIW) at 180 °C in 20 min. The effectiveness of sulfonated biochar catalyst was positively correlated to the density of strong/weak Brønsted acidity (SO₃H, COOH, and OH groups) and inversely correlated to humins content on the surface. With regeneration process, sulfonated biochar catalyst displayed excellent recyclability for comparable HMF yield from bread waste over five cycles.

Keywords: Biomass valorization; Brønsted acid; Engineered/designer biochar; HMF; Organic waste recycling; Solid catalyst.

MeSH terms

Catalysis
Charcoal*
Furaldehyde / analogs & derivatives*
Starch

Substances

biochar
Charcoal
5-hydroxymethylfurfural
Starch
Furaldehyde