Controllable synthesis of monoacrylate-modified adsorption resins and enhancing adsorption toward fermentation inhibitors from rice straw hydrolysate

BACKGROUND A series of monoacrylate modified adsorption resins from reactive mixtures with different amounts and types of monoacrylate have been synthesized by an oil/water (O/W) suspension polymerization technique and utilized to remove fermentation inhibitors and pigments from rice straw hydrolysate for the first time. The modified resin was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. Batch experiments were carried out to determine the adsorption performance of the modified resin for fermentation inhibitors. Regeneration and reusability experiments were performed to evaluate the economic value. RESULTS The modified resin with 80% glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) feed and epoxy group showed optimal selectivity of fermentation inhibitors from rice straw hydrolysate. The adsorption capacities of acid soluble lignin (ASL), formic acid, acetic acid, levulinic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) and furfural onto 80% GMA modified resin were enhanced by 45%, 156%, 86%, 79%, 131%, 52%, respectively. Furthermore, the decolorization rate was improved by 12% over unmodified styrene-divinylbenzene (St-DVB) adsorption resin with approximately 5% sugar loss. CONCLUSION This work not only provides a potential adsorbent for the removal of fermentation inhibitors from rice straw hydrolysate, but also provides guidance for choosing and modifying the adsorbent to detoxify lignocellulose hydrolysate. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry