Study of levoglucosenone obtained in analytical pyrolysis and screw-type reactor, separation and distillation

This research is dedicated to the study on the formation of levoglucosenone and other main volatiles from the catalytic pyrolysis with the addition of phosphoric acid of birch wood and lignocelluloses obtained by birch wood hydrothermal treatment. Py-GC/MS/FID method was used to evaluate the contents of the main products. Lignocelluloses were found to be a more promising precursor to obtain levoglucosenone with lesser content of furfural: For birch wood and lignocelluloses hydrothermally treated at 150 and 180 °C, Py-GC/MS/FID revealed levoglucosenone yields of 12.83, 16.94 and 21.08%, correspondingly (at 5% phosphoric acid addition). When birch wood impregnated with 5% H3PO4 was pyrolized in the laboratory screw-type reactor, the levoglucosenone yield was 6.5%. The composition and content of volatiles formed in analytical pyrolysis, bio-oil and its chloroform extract were compared. Extraction of bio-oil with chloroform and consequent distillation resulted in fractions containing 79.14% of levoglucosenone.