Abstract
In this study laboratory scale pyrolyses of cellulose were investigated to optimise for production of levoglucosenone for synthetic work in the latter half of this study. This began with utilising conventional heating in the form of a tube oven, and as well as producing the initial feedstock of levoglucosenone for synthetic work, alternate starting materials for pyrolysis were investigated. Of these materials (paper, MCC and wood chips) microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) produced the highest yield of levoglucosenone per pyrolytic cyscle. However, MCC rquires the highest amount of resource investment to obtain the starting material.Conversely wood chips require the lowest amount of resource investment to obtain the stating material but had the lowest levoglucosenone yield per pyrolytic cycle. Microwave irradiation was then investigated as an alternative heating method for the pyrolysis themselves of cellulose. This was done initially using a thin coating at the bottom of and Erlenmeyer flask, however, although the pyrolysis themselves had a relatively short run time obtaining the products required a significant amount of solvent and time. These problems were addressed by reducing pressure in the appartus and collecting the products outside of the microwave cavity, allowing for the fast pyrolysis of cellulose in an ionic liquid was attempted which showed a high selectivity for the production of levoglusenone.
| Date of Award | Dec 2019 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisor | Gary Sheldrake (Supervisor) & Andrew Marr (Supervisor) |
Cite this
- Standard