Effect of co-hydrothermal carbonization of sugarcane bagasse and polyvinyl chloride on co-production of furfural and solid fuel

The co-production was investigated of furfural and solid fuel using co-hydrothermal carbonization (co-HTC) of sugarcane bagasse (BG) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compared with hydrothermal carbonization of sugarcane bagasse alone. The HTC process was studied in the temperature range 180–240 °C and furfural production was studied for reaction times of 20, 40 and 60 min. The residence time for hydrochar product was 60 min. The results indicated that the highest furfural yield was achieved at about 88 % of the theoretical pentosan available from sugarcane bagasse at 240 °C and 60 min for the hydrothermal carbonization of sugarcane bagasse alone. The inclusion of PVC with the sugarcane bagasse during the HTC led to decreased furfural formation. The solid fuel characterization results showed that hydrochar derived from both mixing BG and PVC and from BG alone improved the fuel properties.