Determination of optimum operating conditions on the furfural production in deep eutectic solvent/toluene with a biphasic system

Furfural is a furan derivative compound formed from hemicellulose in lignocellulosic biomass, such as oil palm empty fruit bunches (OEFB). Furfural has been considered one of the versatile chemicals used to develop and manufacture other chemicals. A biphasic system can increase furfural production due to the presence of organic solvents, which can reduce the side reactions of furfural formation. This biphasic system can make furfural more stable in organic solvents and extract furfural compounds quickly. This research aims to improve yield in furfural production from xylan using deep eutectic solvent (DES) based on choline chloride, oxalic acid, and ethylene glycol as reaction medium, toluene as an organic solvent, and AlCl3.6H2O as a catalyst. The substrate used in this study was 5% xylan derived from OPEFB. Effect of time production (30, 60, and 90 minutes), temperature production (100°C, 120°C, and 140°C), and Toluene/DES ratios (3:1, 4:1, and 5:1 v/v) were tested in this study. The operating conditions for furfural production are optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) with a Box-Behnken model. The optimum operating conditions were obtained at 135°C for 30 minutes with a toluene/DES ratio of 5:1, resulting in a furfural yield of 58.06%.