Production of xylitol and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol from xylan in napier grass by a hydrothermal process with phosphorus oxoacids followed by aqueous phase hydrogenation

The production of xylitol and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) from napier grass was studied using two steps: a hydrothermal process with phosphorus oxoacids followed by aqueous phase hydrogenation with Pd/C. Xylose obtained from the napier grass by the hydrothermal treatment with 3.0 wt% phosphorous acid was subsequently converted into xylitol at 51.6% yield of the xylan in napier grass by hydrogenation with 5.0 wt% Pd/C. The furfural produced from napier grass with a 3.0 wt% phosphoric acid treatment was also directly subjected to the hydrogenation as a hydrolysate to yield 41.4% THFA based on the xylan in napier grass. The yields of xylitol and THFA obtained by hydrogenation using the napier grass hydrolysate containing xylose or furfural were almost the same as those of hydrogenation using commercial materials. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the production of THFA in high yield by hydrogenation directly from biomass hydrolysate.