Kinetic Study and Optimization of Levulinic Acid Production from Chicory with PTSA as Catalyst

Abstract

Abstract In this study, the hydrothermal conversion of biomass to various chemicals such as levulinic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, formic acid, and acetic acid was investigated. Chicory was selected as the biomass feedstock. Several reactions were carried out in the presence of PTSA (p-Toluene Sulfonic Acid) as the catalyst. The experiments were carried out throughout a temperature range of 180 to 220°C with catalyst concentrations of 100, 300, and 600 mM and biomass-to-solvent ratios of 1, 1.5, and 2 g/25 mL, for a reaction time of 110 minutes. The dependence of product yield and composition on parameters such as temperature, time, catalyst, and feed concentrations was investigated. In addition, the kinetic parameters of the reactions were determined with MATLAB software. The highest carbon-based levulinic acid yield of 26.4% was obtained at 201.4°C with 463.6 mM PTSA in 77.8 min when the biomass-to-solvent ratio was 1 g/25 mL.