Kinetics of Non-catalyzed Decomposition of D-xylose in High Temperature Liquid Water

The kinetics of non-catalyzed decompositions of xylose and its decomposition product furfural in high temperature liquid water （HTLW） was studied for temperature from 180 to 220℃ and under pressure of 10MPa. The main products of xylose decomposition were furfural and formic acid, and furfural further degraded to formic acid under HTLW condition. With the assumption of first order kinetics e.quation, the evaluated activation energy of xylose and furfural decomposition was 123.27kJ·mol^-1 and 58.84kJ·mol^-1, respectively.

Kinetics of non-catalyzed hydrolysis of tannin in high temperature liquid water

High temperature liquid water(HTLW) has drawn increasing attention as an environmentally benign medium for organic chemical reactions,especially acid-/base-catalyzed reactions. Non-catalyzed hydrolyses of gallotannin and tara tannin in HTLW for the simultaneous preparation of gallic acid(GA) and pyrogallol(PY) are under investigation in our laboratory. In this study,the hydrolysis kinetics of gallotannin and tara tannin were determined. The reaction is indicated to be a typical consecutive first-order one in which GA has formed as a main intermediate and PY as the final product. Selective decomposition of tannin in HTLW was proved to be possible by adjusting reaction temperature and time. The present results provide an important basic data and reference for the green preparation of GA and PY.

Enhanced Acid/Base Catalysis in High Temperature Liquid Water

Two novel and environmentally benign solvent systems, organic acids-ennchea high temperature liquid water （HTLW） and NH3-enriched HTLW, were developed, which can enhance the reaction rate of acid/base-catalyzed organic reactions in HTLW. We investigated the decomposition of fructose in organic acids-enriched HTLW, hydrolysis of cinnamaldehyde and aldol condensation of phenylaldehyde with acetaldehyde in NH3-enriched HTLW. The experimental results demonstrated that organic acids-enriched or NH3-enriched HTLW can greatly accelerate acid/base-catalyzed organic reactions in HTLW.

Hydrolysis kinetics of benzyl phenyl ether in high temperature liquid water

The application of high temperature liquid water（HTLW） to decomposition of lignin as efficient and green solution for phenolic compounds recovery was studied.Benzyl phenyl ether（BPE）,the lignin model compound,was treated at temperatures ranging from 220 to 250℃.BPE undergo hydrolysis in HTLW,and main products were phenol and benzyl alcohol with the minimum selectivities of 75.7%and 82.8%,respectively.Lower temperature led to higher selectivity in 220-250℃temperature range.The kinetics on BPE hydrolysis was studied and the activation energy was determined as 150.3±12.5 kJ/mol with the first-order kinetic equations.Based on products distribution,the reaction mechanism for decomposition of benzyl phenyl ether was proposed.The investigated process provides insights into the design of a commercial method for utilization of lignin.