Use of Kappaphycus alvarezii Biomass for the Production of Carbohydrate Isopropylidene-Ketal-Based Biocrude

5 years ago

Use of Kappaphycus alvarezii Biomass for the Production of Carbohydrate Isopropylidene-Ketal-Based Biocrude

Leandro S. M. Miranda, Matheus O. de Souza, Rafael Garrett, Marcelo M. Pereira

The production of bio-hydrocarbons is a challenging task, which stimulated research and the development of different approaches to introduce biomass into the standard refinery. However, they present drawbacks that demonstrate the need for continuous research. Our recent efforts in this area culminated in the development of a new biocrude derived from carbohydrate-derived isospropylidene ketals obtained from lignicelullosic biomass. Such biocrude could be easily stored, and its components could be converted into hydrocarbons under standard catalytic cracking conditions. In the present work, we report the proof of concept in the synthesis of such biocrude from non-lignocellulosic biomass. The biomass from Kappaphycus alvarezii was used as a source for the production of a biocrude enriched in carbohydrate-derived isopropylidene ketals. For such, a two-step procedure was developed, i.e., acid hydrolysis of K. alvarezii biomass yielding a carbohydrate-rich extract, followed by its acid-catalyzed ketalization with acetone. It was observed that the conditions used for acid hydrolysis of K. alvarezii biomass impacted the final biocrude composition of isopropylidene ketals. The best experimental condition for biomass hydrolysis, which resulted in a biocrude with a higher carbohydrate-derived isopropylide ketal content after ketalization, was that using sulfuric acid solution at 0.180 M, 140 °C, and 6.75 min of reaction time. Such biocrude presented 44% (w/w) of 1,2;3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-galactopyranose. The compound 6-O-methyl-1,2;3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-galactopyranose was also identified in the biocrude.

Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b00765

DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b00765