One pot synthesis of furan-modified lignin from agricultural waste via lignin-first approach.

ABSTRACT

This study investigated a lignin-first approach to produce furan-modified lignin from sugarcane bagasse (SB), rice hull (RH), and sunn hemp biomass (SHB) using 5 methylfurfural (MF) and 5 methul-2-furanmethanol (MFM). The reaction time (5 h) was selected based on the delignification of SB using methanol and Ru/C catalyst which yielded the highest hydroxyl content. Delignification of SB with various MF weight ratios (11, 12, 13, 21, and 31) revealed that 11 and 21 ratios produced the highest hydroxyl content (7.7 mmol/g) and bio-oil yield (23.2 % wt% total weight). Further exploration identified that RH and MF at 11 ratio and SHB and MF at a 21 ratio produced the highest hydroxyl content (13.0 mmol/g) and bio-oil yield (31.6 % wt% tot. weight). This study developed a one-step method to extract and modify lignin with furan compounds simultaneously while opening new avenues for developing value-added products.