Heterogeneous catalysis for the extraction of arabinoxylans from wheat bran

Abstract

The conversion of biomass within biorefineries into chemicals and energy is seen as a real possibility for the substitution of fossil resources. Raw materials of high lignocellulosic content are an interesting option. Besides wood and non-food crops, agricultural residues like straw and corn stover as well as other by-products of various origins are of high interest as feedstocks. Wheat bran represents such a by-product, which accrues in enormous quantities during the production of white wheat flour. It is estimated that 150 million tons are produced per year worldwide [1]. Currently wheat bran is mainly used as a low value ingredient in animal feed. Arabinoxylans are the most abundant structural polysaccharides in wheat bran, and they can be suitable compounds for the production of sugar alcohols. In general terms, the conversion of these hemicellulosic components from biomass into sugar alcohols is a two step reaction: 1) extraction and hydrolysis of arabinoxylans and 2) hydrogenation of these hemicelluloses into polyols