Obtención de glucosa mediante la hidrólisis ácida con líquidos iónicos a partir de material lignocelulósico

Abstract

The main objective of this project was to obtain glucose from cacao pods through acid hydrolysis using ionic liquids (IL). Samples were collected in the canton "Camilo Ponce Enríquez" and their chemical composition was determined, resulting in 23,67% extractives, 41,37% lignin, 29,36% cellulose, and 9,76% hemicellulose. Subsequently, the samples were hydrolyzed with 5% v/v sulfuric acid, both in the absence and presence of the ionic liquid 1- ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate, in a 10:1 ratio, at 94°C. The reactions were carried out in a batch reactor with perfect mixing for times ranging from 0 to 120 minutes. Glucose determination was performed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), obtaining a maximum glucose concentration of 1,88 g/L at 100 minutes without IL and 2,19 g/L at 80 minutes with IL. The reaction kinetics were determined using the integral method and the Saeman method, yielding an 2=0,94 without IL and 2=0,96 with IL for a first-order reaction, and 2=0,91 without IL and 2=0,85 with IL for the Saeman method. Finally, the mass balance indicated a cellulose conversion of 10,91% with a reaction time of 61,20 minutes without IL, and 15,20% in 77,97 minutes with IL, while the energy balance showed a heat transfer rate of 0,91 J/min for hydrolysis without IL and 1,60 J/min with IL.