Kinetic Study of Levulinic Acid from Spirulina platensis Residue.

Microalgae have the potential to emerge as renewable feedstocks to replace fossil resources in producing biofuels and chemicals. Levulinic acid is one of the most promising substances which may serve as chemical building blocks. This work investigated the use of Spirulina platensis residue (solid residue after lipids extraction) to produce LA via acid hydrolysis reaction.

Multi-distribution activation energy model on slow pyrolysis of cellulose and lignin in TGA/DSC.

Developing a kinetic model to analyze the multi-step reaction of biomass pyrolysis is pivotal to elucidate the mechanism of the pyrolysis. For this purpose, a model-fitting method such as multi-distribution the Distributed Activation Energy Model (DAEM) is one of the most reliable methods. DAEM with 4 different distribution functions of Gaussian, Logarithmic, Gumbel, and Cauchy was utilized to characterize the pyrolysis of cellulose and lignin during Thermogravimetric Analysis/Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA/DSC) instrumentation.

Microwave-Assisted Urea-Based-Hydrotropic Pretreatment of Rice Straw: Experimental Data and Mechanistic Kinetic Models.

The three major lignocellulose components can be transformed into various biomass-derived platform fuels, chemicals, and materials upon pretreatment and chemical upgrading. Lignocellulose pretreatment is an important step to obtain an eco-friendly, economical, and effective biomass utilization process. The combination of microwave heating and hydrotropic pretreatment is considered as a green method of lignocellulose pretreatment.