PRODUCTION OF FURFURAL FROM RICE HUSK AND WATER HYACINTH

Abstract

Agro-industrial residues are the most abundant and renewable resources on earth. Accumulation of this biomass in large quantities every year results not only in the deterioration of the environment but also in the loss of potentially valuable material which can be processed to yield a number of value added products, such as food, fuel, feed and a variety of chemicals. The use of agricultural wastes as renewable resources of chemicals and fuels is of interest from both economic and environmental point of view. Lignocellulosic biomass encompass all agricultural wastes such as straw, stem, stalk leaves, husk, shell, peel, pulp, etc. Lignocellulosic biomass can act as a potential source for the production of chemicals such as ethanol, reducing sugars, furfural, etc. Furfural is a valuable by-product that is commercially produced by dilute acid hydrolysis from lignocellulosic wastes in an aqueous medium. Furfural is an important renewable platform chemical which can be converted to bio chemicals and biofuels. This project focuses mainly on the production of furfural from Kerala’s own indigenous crop waste i.e. rice husk and a local invasive floating plant commonly known as water hyacinth. The production of furfural from the above mentioned lignocellulosic biomass has been carried out via sulphuric acid catalysed hydrolysis in water solvent system. Comparison of the yield of furfural from rice husk and water hyacinth has also been investigated. The characterization of the product was carried out by FTIR, UV and 1H NMR spectroscopy.