Eastern Kentucky University
Advances in Biofuels and Renewable Feedstocks Technologies in Eastern Kentucky: Study 2: (Mazzotta) Quantitative Sugar Analysis of Pretreatment Solutions by High Performance Liquid Chromatography for Biofuels Production
Institution
Eastern Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Nathan Tice; Darren Smith; Buchang Shi; Laurel Morton
Abstract
With the need for the United States to become more energy dependent and environmentally conscientious, the possibility of manufacturing biofuels domestically is very appealing. Native Kentucky plant sources, such as switchgrass, make this possibility tangible as these plant materials can be broken down into sugars that can then be consumed by high oil content algae to produce biodiesel. While a multitude of physical and chemical pretreatment procedures have been employed on switchgrass, additional pretreatments have been developed. A comparison of the sugar content from all of these procedures has yet to be performed. To ascertain and assess the success and efficiency of such pretreatment methods, analytical instrumentation is required. The use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with refractive index (RI) detector can effectively separate specific sugars from each other in a complex matrix that can then be detected and measured to provide quantitative results. The goals of this research include the development and validation of the HPLC system to separate and quantitate the sugars (and other products) found in switchgrass samples after pretreatment methods. The amount of sugars determined can then be compared for the given pretreatment methods and those methods can be altered to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness employed on the switchgrass samples. With an optimized pretreatment system developed from these results obtained by HPLC analysis, effective use of time and materials can lead to successful biofuel production that can be implemented in an industrial setting, assisting the US in becoming independent of foreign oil sources.
Advances in Biofuels and Renewable Feedstocks Technologies in Eastern Kentucky: Study 2: (Mazzotta) Quantitative Sugar Analysis of Pretreatment Solutions by High Performance Liquid Chromatography for Biofuels Production
With the need for the United States to become more energy dependent and environmentally conscientious, the possibility of manufacturing biofuels domestically is very appealing. Native Kentucky plant sources, such as switchgrass, make this possibility tangible as these plant materials can be broken down into sugars that can then be consumed by high oil content algae to produce biodiesel. While a multitude of physical and chemical pretreatment procedures have been employed on switchgrass, additional pretreatments have been developed. A comparison of the sugar content from all of these procedures has yet to be performed. To ascertain and assess the success and efficiency of such pretreatment methods, analytical instrumentation is required. The use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with refractive index (RI) detector can effectively separate specific sugars from each other in a complex matrix that can then be detected and measured to provide quantitative results. The goals of this research include the development and validation of the HPLC system to separate and quantitate the sugars (and other products) found in switchgrass samples after pretreatment methods. The amount of sugars determined can then be compared for the given pretreatment methods and those methods can be altered to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness employed on the switchgrass samples. With an optimized pretreatment system developed from these results obtained by HPLC analysis, effective use of time and materials can lead to successful biofuel production that can be implemented in an industrial setting, assisting the US in becoming independent of foreign oil sources.