| Abstract |
Furfural is produced commercially by the acid hydrolysis of pentosan polysaccharides from nonfood residues of food crops and wood wastes. It is an essential chemical substance utilized in the derivation of other valuable chemicals such as furfuryl alcohol which is the basic component for the production of a furan resin thermoset. The main source of pentosans is lignocellulose that can be found in biomass. Pentosans from coconut shell, coconut husk, pineapple bagasse and water hyacinth, which are available agricultural wastes in the country, were used in this study. Given that the Philippines is an agricultural country, the country has a sustainable source of agricultural wastes and could potentially become a producer of furfural. The laboratory synthesis of furfural was done by acid catalyzed hydrolysis. The acid hydrolyses were carried out at 180 脗掳C using dilute (0.2 M) sulfuric acid for different hydrolysis times. Results show that furfural yield increases as digestion time increases, but only up to a certain hydrolysis time, different for every raw material, for which the maximum average percent mass furfural yield can be obtained. After which, a decrease in mass yield will be noticed. |
Mindanao State
University - Iligan Institute of Technology