1. Catalytic transformation of the marine polysaccharide ulvan into rare sugars, tartaric and succinic acids
- Author
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Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Generalitat Valenciana, Podolean, I., Coman, S.M., Bucur, C., Teodorescu, C., Kikionis, Stefanos, Ioannou, E., Roussis, V., Primo, Ana, García Gómez, Hermenegildo, Parvulescu, Vasile I., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Generalitat Valenciana, Podolean, I., Coman, S.M., Bucur, C., Teodorescu, C., Kikionis, Stefanos, Ioannou, E., Roussis, V., Primo, Ana, García Gómez, Hermenegildo, and Parvulescu, Vasile I.
- Abstract
The green macroalga Ulva rigida represents a promising feedstock for biorefinary due to its fast growth and cosmopolitan distribution. The main component of the cell walls of U. rigida is a sulfated glucuronorhamnan polysaccharide known as ulvan. Herein it was found that due to the high (hydrogen)sulfate group content of ulvan, hydrothermal autohydrolysis at 130 °C renders a high percentage of rhamnose (78–79 % recovery from the initial content in the raw material), a rare sugar of high added value. In addition, acid catalysis by a triflate-based graphene oxide under oxygen-free conditions at 180 °C affords moderate amounts of tartaric acid (24–26 %). The same triflate-based graphene oxide catalyst under oxygen pressure yields remarkably high percentages of succinic acid (65 %). The catalyst preserves its activity for at least five consecutive reuses.
- Published
- 2022