FeCl3 and acetic acid co-catalyzed hydrolysis of corncob for improving furfural production and lignin removal from residue.

In order to increase furfural yield and lignin removal, both FeCl(3) and acetic acid were used to co-catalyze the hydrolysis of corncob. A series of experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of acetic acid, FeCl(3) concentrations and temperatures on furfural production and residue characteristics. The results showed that high FeCl(3) concentrations caused serious cellulose degradation while acetic acid was more effective for lignin removal. A maximum furfural yield of 67.89% (35.74% higher than that in conventional sulfuric acid-catalyzed process) was obtained at 180°C in the presence of 20mM of FeCl(3) and 3% of acetic acid. Simultaneously, lignin removal reached 54.79%, and 74.29% of the cellulose was remained for further utilization. Acetic acid and FeCl(3) co-catalyzed hydrolysis was not only a high efficiency and environmental friendly technique, but also provided a possibility to utilize the furfural residue for ethanol production and other industries.