Acid Hydrolysis of Corn Stover Hemicellulose by Low-Liquid Percolation Process.pdf

Acid Hydrolysis of Corn Stover Hemicellulose by Low-Liquid Percolation Process Yongming Zhu, Y. Y. Lee Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, AL 36849 Richard T. Elander National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO INTRODUCTION ? Dilute-acid treatment is a well-established pretreatment process. ? Recovery of the hemicellulose sugars is an important factor in the process economics. ? Percolation reactor is suitable for biomass pretreatment because of: (1) high sugar yield as a result of immediate discharge of sugar products minimizing sugar decomposition; and (2) high sugar concentration obtainable by high solid/liquid ratio. OBJECTIVES This research was undertaken to optimize the percolation process such that the concentration and yield of hemicellulose sugars are maintained at high level in dilute- acid hydrolysis of corn stover. The experimental conditions covered: 160-180oC, 0.2-1 wt% of sulfuric acid, and broad range of acid flow rate. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 P Vent 1, acid tank; 2, HPLC pump; 3, preheating coil; 4, percolation reactor; 5, thermometer; 6, GC oven; 7, heat exchanger; 8, product collecting tank; 9, N2 gas. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Sugar Decomposition During Preheating Stage Table 1. Sugar Content in Corn Stover after Preheating and Water-Washing (preheating time 25 minutes, final temperature 180oC) Sugar Content Retained in the Solid after Washing Sugars in Wash Water Estimated Sugar Loss by Decomposition Glucan 95.5% ~0 4.5% Xylan 81.2% 11.4% 7.4% Arabinan 56.1% 19.5% 24.4% RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Effects of Acid Concentration (1% acid,180oC) ? For all acid levels applied, the maximum xylose yields surpass 90%. ? Acid concentration has significant effect on xylose production. 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Reaction Time/min X y l o s e Y i e l d 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Xylose Concentration/g/L X y l o s e Y i e l d 1% 0.5% 0.2