Kinetic modeling of effects of different metal halides on performance of thf co-solvent assisted production of sugars, furfural, hmf, and levulinic acid

We recently developed a novel co-solvent system using tetrahydrofuran (THF) to produce hydrocarbon fuel precursors (FPs). By applying this novel system, we are able to achieve >87% yield of furfural, remove more than 90% of original lignin, and produce a highly reactive glucan rich solids residue. This study also showed that THF simultaneously accelerated the biomass hydrolysis and sugars dehydration. However, the causes for enhanced yields of furfural and lignin solubilization are still unclear. Therefore, in this study, by working with pure sugars and biomass, we investigated the kinetics of THF assisted FPs production. The effect of various conditions on the reactions and FP yields were investigated. The effect of other alternative catalysts such as metal halides, which have shown better performance than the traditional catalysts such as mineral acids, was also studied. Further, to help us give an insight on the reaction mechanism using different catalysts, we developed a kinetic model explaining the kinetics of furfural, HMF, and levulinic acid production using the THF co-solvent system.