Conversion of waste coffee grounds into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and carbon-copper nanocomposite

• Main Author: Ganado, Rey Joseph J.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2019
• Subjects: Coffee waste; Coffee grounds; Fuel; Chemicals; Environmental Sciences; Oil, Gas, and Energy
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/5836
• Institution: De La Salle University

In the last decade, the increasing oil demand and exhaustion of reserves have initiated stimulus to search for new and sustainable sources of fuels, materials and fine chemicals. Lignocellulosic biomass turned out to be a promising and renewable feedstock for these application. In this study, 5-hydroxymethyfurfural (HMF), a platform chemical for the production of a broad range of fuels and chemicals, was synthesized from waste coffee ground (WCG) using a Bronsted-Lewis acid combination (B-L acid), as catalyst, in a highly aqueous binary solvent of Hâ‚‚O-DMSO by microwave irradiation. The highest HMF yield form WCG was observed using 6:4 Hâ‚‚O:DMSO (v/v) solvent ration. A response surface methodology showed that microwave power was the significant factor for higher HMF yield, followed by catalysts loading and reaction time. A yield up to 13.65% was obtained from WCG using 0.03 mmol of catalysts, 250W of microwave power and 20 minutes of reaction time. Moreover, the residue formed during WCG conversion was transformed into carbon-copper nanocomposite (CCN) by horizontal vapor phase growth (HVPG). The resulting CCN was characterized by SEM-EDX and Raman. This study demonstrates for the first time a complete utilization of WCG to produce chemicals and bio-based material, providing another reference for valorization of biomasses.