Experimental and Kinetic Modelling Studies upon Conversion of Nordic Pulp into Levulinic Acid

• In this paper, sulphite cellulose from a Swedish pulp mill was applied as the raw material upon catalytic, one-pot synthesis of green platform chemicals – levulinic and formic acids. Cationic ion-exchange resin, Amberlyst 70, was the catalyst of choice and the optimal reaction conditions leading to best yields were determined. The kinetic experiments were performed in a temperature range of 180–200 °C and an initial substrate concentration regime ranging from 0.7 to 6.0 wt %. For this system, maximum theoretical yields of around 59 mol % and 68 mol % were obtained for formic and levulinic acid, respectively. These yields were achieved at a reaction temperature of 180 °C and an initial cellulose intake of 0.7 wt %. A simplified reaction network of the various chemical species involved was investigated and a mechanistic approach involving first order reaction kinetics was developed. The model was able to describe the behaviour of the system in a satisfactory manner (degree of explanation 97.8 %). Since the solid catalyst proved to exhibit good mechanical strength under the experimental conditions applied here, the concept introduces a one-pot procedure providing a route to green platform chemicals from coniferous soft wood pulp to produce levulinic and formic acids, respectively.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences (hsv//eng)

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