Synthesis of furfural from pre-ball-milled sunflower husks

Abstract

In laboratory conditions, we simulated furfural production from sunflower husk with a particle size of 6-10μm. Furfural is one of the most common types of waste included in the top ten waste containing more than 25% pentosans. Besides, it is a convenient model, since it represents the accumulation of industrial waste with a low cost and composition typical of straw and wood materials. We focused on sunflower husk as raw materials, and for obtaining desired products, the three-stage process was used. This process involves the milling of raw sunflower husk to obtain particles up to 6-10μm in size by using Retsch PM100 planetary mill, acid hydrolysis of the obtained particles in dilute sulfuric acid, and, finally, the multiple steam distillation of the reaction mixture. © 2020 Author(s).