Hydrolysis of Fruit Waste to Reduce Sugars Using Sulphonated Magnetic Carbonaceous Catalyst

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Manivannan, Hemalatha^{; *} | Anguraj, Brinda Lakshmi | Venkatesan, G.

Affiliations: Department of Chemical Engineering, Saveetha Engineering College, Thandalam, Chennai – 602105, India | Department of Chemical Engineering, AC Tech, Anna University, Chennai – 600025, India | Department of Civil Engineering, Saveetha Engineering College, Thandalam, Chennai – 602105, India

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding Author. hemahi94@gmail.com

Abstract: The sulphonated magnetic carbonaceous catalyst (Fe3O4@AC-SO3H) was effectively synthesised by functionalising the sulphonic acid group (–SO3H) on the surface of the core-shell structure of magnetic nanoparticle grafted activated carbon and analysed by SEM, XRD, and FT-IR. The As-prepared catalyst may aggressively hydrolyse biomass to sugar in a shorter reaction time. Hydrolysis factors such as catalyst dose, reaction temperature, and duration all had a significant impact on the hydrolysis of pomegranate peel waste. The catalyst could liberate 46% of TRS in 2 hours at 140°C from acid-pretreated pomegranate peel waste. This catalyst can be easily regenerated using a magnet and reused for up to three cycles with improved stability.

Keywords: Pretreatment, hydrolysis, fruit waste, total reducing sugars, sulphonated magnetic carbonaceous catalyst

DOI: 10.3233/AJW230078

Journal: Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 45-51, 2023