Microwave-Assisted Green Production of Furfural from D-xylose of Sugarcane Bagasse

Abstract

D-xylose is a component of sugarcane bagasse that can be used as a renewable resource for the production of a variety of chemicals. By means of catalytic reactions in an aqueous medium, it was determined that D-xylose can efficiently be converted into furfural by the application of microwave as a green synthetic methodology. The highest yields of furfural were obtained at a HCl concentration of 4 mg/mL. When the reaction was performed at 200 °C, an optimum yield of 64% of furfural was observed after 10 min of reaction time, with 95% of the D-xylose being converted.

Keywords

• Renewable chemistry
• Green chemistry
• Green processes