Optimization of Levulinic Acid Production from Depithed Sugarcane Bagasse in 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate [EMim][HSO4]

In the present study, optimal reaction conditions to produce levulinic acid (LA) from depithed sugarcane bagasse (DSB) using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate [EMim][HSO4] ionic liquid (IL) were investigated. The effect of temperature (100-220 degrees C), reaction time (2-12 h), and ionic liquid loading (1-4 g) was assessed using response surface methodology based on the Box-Behnken design. The optimum conditions were found to be 100 degrees C, 7 h, and 4 g of IL, which yielded 54.6% of LA from DSB. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the design model was significant at the 95% confidence level. The pareto chart revealed that IL loading had the most significant effect on the production of LA, followed by temperature and reaction time. The P-values also showed that these were the significant model terms. There is a strong correlation between temperature and IL loading. Solvent optimization revealed that the type of solvent used in the LA production has a significant effect on LA yield. Water was used as the control solvent for this study. Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) yielded the highest LA (62%) from all the solvents that were used.

Automated summary

The study investigated the optimal reaction conditions for producing levulinic acid from depithed sugarcane bagasse using an ionic liquid. The analysis showed that temperature, reaction time, and ionic liquid loading had significant effects on the production of levulinic acid. Additionally, solvent optimization was found to play a crucial role in determining the yield of levulinic acid.