The effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose’s chemical conversion

The effect of low-frequency ultrasound on the treatment of birch sawdust with hot water and diluted acid was studied for the first time under high pressure and temperature. When treated with diluted formic acid solution, the production of furfural dramatically increased, emphasizing the straightforw...

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Main Authors: Salla Kälkäjä, Tao Hu, Stéphane Baup, Jean-Marc Lévêque, Katja Lappalainen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350417725000975
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author Salla Kälkäjä
Tao Hu
Stéphane Baup
Jean-Marc Lévêque
Katja Lappalainen
author_facet Salla Kälkäjä
Tao Hu
Stéphane Baup
Jean-Marc Lévêque
Katja Lappalainen
author_sort Salla Kälkäjä
collection DOAJ
description The effect of low-frequency ultrasound on the treatment of birch sawdust with hot water and diluted acid was studied for the first time under high pressure and temperature. When treated with diluted formic acid solution, the production of furfural dramatically increased, emphasizing the straightforward hydrolysis of hemicellulose. The highest furfural yield (43–44 %) was achieved with 5 % formic acid. The most significant decrease in crystallinity index (from 56 % to 50 %) compared to treatment without ultrasound was observed with 2.5 % formic acid, using a 70:30 pulse mode with 70 % amplitude of the nominal power deliverable by the generator and an additional pressure of 3 bar. In diluted acid experiments, the remaining solid fraction, which presumably contained mainly cellulose and lignin, exhibited a completely different shape compared to the starting material, resulting in a kind of “wooden paste” with reduced particle size. The impact of additional pressure appeared to be significant, and this is further discussed in relation to the determination of the acoustic power under such rigorous experimental conditions. Based on the results obtained, ultrasound combined with hot water / diluted acid treatment shows potential for the efficient utilization of birch sawdust for platform chemicals.
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issn 1350-4177
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
spelling doaj-art-78059daa997e43468f3f047109fd59ba2025-08-20T03:06:05ZengElsevierUltrasonics Sonochemistry1350-41772025-05-0111610731810.1016/j.ultsonch.2025.107318The effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose’s chemical conversionSalla Kälkäjä0Tao Hu1Stéphane Baup2Jean-Marc Lévêque3Katja Lappalainen4Sustainable Chemistry Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4300, FIN-90014 Oulu, FinlandSustainable Chemistry Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4300, FIN-90014 Oulu, FinlandUniversité Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LRP, 38000 Grenoble, FranceUniversité Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LRP, 38000 Grenoble, FranceSustainable Chemistry Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4300, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland; Corresponding author.The effect of low-frequency ultrasound on the treatment of birch sawdust with hot water and diluted acid was studied for the first time under high pressure and temperature. When treated with diluted formic acid solution, the production of furfural dramatically increased, emphasizing the straightforward hydrolysis of hemicellulose. The highest furfural yield (43–44 %) was achieved with 5 % formic acid. The most significant decrease in crystallinity index (from 56 % to 50 %) compared to treatment without ultrasound was observed with 2.5 % formic acid, using a 70:30 pulse mode with 70 % amplitude of the nominal power deliverable by the generator and an additional pressure of 3 bar. In diluted acid experiments, the remaining solid fraction, which presumably contained mainly cellulose and lignin, exhibited a completely different shape compared to the starting material, resulting in a kind of “wooden paste” with reduced particle size. The impact of additional pressure appeared to be significant, and this is further discussed in relation to the determination of the acoustic power under such rigorous experimental conditions. Based on the results obtained, ultrasound combined with hot water / diluted acid treatment shows potential for the efficient utilization of birch sawdust for platform chemicals.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350417725000975Birch sawdustFurfuralLignocellulosic side streamUltrasound assisted hydrolysis
spellingShingle Salla Kälkäjä
Tao Hu
Stéphane Baup
Jean-Marc Lévêque
Katja Lappalainen
The effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose’s chemical conversion
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
Birch sawdust
Furfural
Lignocellulosic side stream
Ultrasound assisted hydrolysis
title The effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose’s chemical conversion
title_full The effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose’s chemical conversion
title_fullStr The effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose’s chemical conversion
title_full_unstemmed The effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose’s chemical conversion
title_short The effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose’s chemical conversion
title_sort effect of ultrasound on birch sawdust during simultaneous pretreatment and hemicellulose s chemical conversion
topic Birch sawdust
Furfural
Lignocellulosic side stream
Ultrasound assisted hydrolysis
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350417725000975
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