Developing Ways of Obtaining Quality Hydrolyzates Based on Integrating Catalytic Peroxide Delignification and the Acid Hydrolysis of Birch Wood

Abstract

Traditional processes of acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of wood are ineffective due to the low quality of formed glucose solutions contaminated with impurities that inhibit fermentation of glucose to ethanol. This problem grows during the hydrolysis of birch wood containing large amounts of hemicellulose. This work proposes producing quality glucose solutions using sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄, 80%) catalyzed hydrolysis at 25°C the cellulosic products formed during the catalytic peroxide delignification of birch wood. It is established that the composition of cellulosic products strongly affects the contents of glucose, xylose, and impurities inhibiting the enzymatic synthesis of bioethanol: furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, and levulinic acid. High yields (80.4–83.5 wt %) of glucose are achieved using cellulosic products produced by integrating the processes of sulfuric acid hydrolysis of hemicelluloses from birch wood and peroxide delignification of prehydrolyzed wood in the presence of catalysts: 2% H₂SO₄ and 1% TiO₂. Concentration of inhibitors of enzymatic processes in these hydrolyzates is below the allowable limits. Hydrolyzates with maximum glucose content (86.4–88.5 wt %) and minimum concentration of inhibiting impurities produced by acid hydrolysis of cellulosic products treated with an 18% solution of NaOH. Gas chromatography, HPLC, and chromato-mass spectrometry are used to analyze the composition of hydrolyzates. Cellulosic products are examined by SEM, XRD, and chemical analysis.