Maximization of monomeric C5 sugars from wheat bran using ruthenium-supported catalysts

Abstract

Wheat bran has become a very interesting biomass in biorefineries due to its high content in sugars. Arabinoxylans, the most abundant fraction in wheat bran, have important applications in pharmaceutical and food industries. However, their volume market is larger for the corresponding monomeric sugars (arabinose and xylose). Arabinose and xylose are susceptible to be converted in precursors of several platform molecules such as arabitol and xylitol. Processing wheat bran to obtain sugar alcohols consists of three consecutive steps fractionation, hydrolysis and hydrogenation.