"Liquid-liquid equilibrium in systems involved in the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from biomass, using alcohols and ionic liquids as solvents"

• Grant number: 13/14118-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Martin Aznar
• Grantee: Irede Angela Lucini Dalmolin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Limitations of bioethanol as a direct substitute for gasoline have instigated many researchers to develop a process for catalytic chemical conversion in the production of new biofuel from biomass. One of these biofuels is 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), can be produced from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). HMF has been identified as the "key compound for biorefining of the chemical and biofuels" due to the wide range of chemical intermediates and end-products that it can produce. Detailed study of liquid-liquid equilibrium to extraction of HMF formed in aqueous environment, by contact with solvent, is fundamental step for optimize the purification of this furan derivative as a potential alternative to finite fossil sources. Recently, Ionic Liquids (IL) have attracted attention as solvents, mainly because of the low vapor pressure. In this project, the equilibrium liquid-liquid in systems involving the production process of HMF will be studied, including primary and secondary alcohols and protic IL as solvents. Through variations different solvents, in model systems, will be observed the selectivity of each solvent studied and the distribution of HMF between phases, aqueous and solvent-rich. Monitoring the extraction of HMF will be performed through quantification of components in both phases, using chromatographic and titrimetric methods, and finally, it will be submitted to analysis of mass balance for observation of data quality. The results of this work will provide support for the description of phase equilibrium using thermodynamic modeling, for the development of simulation projects and scale-up of the systems studied.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DALMOLIN, IREDE; PINTO, RAFAELA R.; DE OLIVEIRA, LEONARDO H.; FOLLEGATTI-ROMERO, LUIS A.; COSTA, ALINE C.; AZNAR, MARTIN. Liquid-liquid equilibrium in systems used for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from biomass using alcohols as solvents. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL THERMODYNAMICS, v. 111, p. 80-87, AUG 2017. (11/19736-1, 16/05950-5, 13/14118-3)