Production optimization and obtainment of levulinic acid from sugarcane bagasse and molasses

• Grant number: 15/17592-3
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal researcher: Rubens Maciel Filho
• Grantee: Emília Savioli Lopes
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/06294-0 - Subcritical water and CO2 hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse for levulinic acid production, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Biomass is identified as an important alternative source of fuel and chemicals added value, which has a high production worldwide, which highlights the sugarcane bagasse. Much research is being carried out to convert biomass into various new platforms of chemicals, including levulinic acid (LA) has outlined a lot of attention for being an attractive platform for high value-added products. Among its many applications, LA ester can be used in the flavor and fragrance industry, or as a specialty chemical component to be mixed into biodiesel and have the potential to be an important basic chemical material. The LA can be produced from biomass by acid hydrolysis under acidic conditions at relatively high temperatures compared with those used for conventional hydrolysis, where biomass is broken down into a variety of products, LA and formic acid and the final soluble products. In the hydrolysis process, the temperature and acid concentration have a significant impact effect on the reactions and affect the final LA yield. In this context, this doctorate research project aims at producing and getting the levulinic acid through the sugarcane bagasse and molasses, the optimization of this process, as well as obtaining the kinetic data and the kinetic model through experimentally data obtained. It should be noted that this research is unprecedented, because research in hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse intended to obtain fermentable sugars (C6 and C5) and not in the production of LA. This project can bring significant contributions to the broader full use of sugarcane bagasse as the separation and especially the fermentation of C5 is not yet fully resolved. (AU)

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)

LOPES, EMILIA SAVIOLI; RIVERA, ELMER CCOPA; DE JESUS GARIBOTI, JULIO CESAR; ZIMMERMANN FEISTEL, LUIS HENRIQUE; DUTRA, JOAO VITOR; MACIEL FILHO, RUBENS; TOVAR, LAURA PLAZAS. Kinetic insights into the lignocellulosic biomass-based levulinic acid production by a mechanistic model. Cellulose, v. 27, n. 10 MAY 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

LOPES, EMILIA SAVIOLI; SILVA, JEAN FELIPE LEAL; RIVERA, ELMER CCOPA; GOMES, ALANA PETRINA; LOPES, MELINA SAVIOLI; MACIEL FILHO, RUBENS; TOVAR, LAURA PLAZAS. Challenges to Levulinic Acid and Humins Valuation in the Sugarcane Bagasse Biorefinery Concept. BioEnergy Research, v. 13, n. 3 APR 2020. Web of Science Citations: 1.

FLEIG, OLIVIA PANIZ; LOPES, EMILIA SAVIOLI; RIVERA, ELMER CCOPA; MACIEL FILHO, RUBENS; TOVAR, LAURA PLAZAS. Concept of rice husk biorefining for levulinic acid production integrating three steps: Multi-response optimization, new perceptions and limitations. Process Biochemistry, v. 65, p. 146-156, FEB 2018. Web of Science Citations: 5.