Conversion of Wood-Based Hemicellulose Prehydrolysate into Succinic Acid Using a Heterogeneous Acid Catalyst in a Biphasic System

A novel approach for the conversion of biomass-based hemicellulose prehydrolysate to high-value succinic acid has been investigated using a heterogeneous acid catalyst, Amberlyst 15 and hydrogen peroxide, in a biphasic system. A vital intermediate in this process, furfural, was oxidized in the biphasic system to produce succinic acid. Production of furfural in good yields is a limiting step in such processes for a number of reasons. Among the organic solvents evaluated, toluene was found to be an ideal solvent for furfural extraction and to facilitate the conversion of furfural to succinic acid. Simultaneous extraction of furfural into the organic solvent as it was produced increased the overall yield. It was observed that the developed method resulted in a succinic acid yield of 52.34% from the furfural obtained from hemicellulose prehydrolysate. It was found that 50 mg of Amberlyst 15 per millimole of furfural resulted in 100% furfural conversion in less time.