ACID-CATALYZED PYROLYSIS OF BIOMASS FOR FURFURAL PRODUCTION

The acid catalyzed pyrolysis of corncobs is investigated for the production of furfural. The selected acidic catalysts are sulfuric acid (H2SO4), zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and ferric sulphate (Fe2(SO4)3). Experiments have been made at a heating temperature of 800K, by varying the amount of catalyst impregnated in the substrate. The maximum yields of FF are around 5-6% for the three catalytic treatments (versus yields of 0.6% for un-catalyzed pyrolysis), with potential further increase, following secondary degradation of the main anhydrosugars, up to 8.5% (H2SO4), 10% (Fe2(SO4)3) or 6.5% (ZnCl2).