Synthesis of Furfural from Bagasse

Abstract

Bagasse is a waste product from the sugar industry, which is usually used as energy source in factory at present. However, the amount of bagasse left is still high enough for more value-added product for example furfural. Bagasse is a good source of pentosan and containing about 25 to 27%. The main objective of the research was to produce furfural from bagasse. The main raw material for the production furfural was bagasse and some chemicals/ingredients were used (H 2 SO 4 , water, NaCl). Furfural is an important organic chemical, produced from agro industrial wastes and residues containing carbohydrates known as Pentosans. It is a basic chemical, which can be utilized in a variety of industries such as chemical industry, refining oil industry, food industry and agricultural industry. In its pure state, it is a colourless or yellow oily liquid with the odour of almonds, but upon exposure to air it quickly becomes yellow then brown and finally black, it is commonly known as furfuraldehyde.