Simulated moving bed separation of agarose-hydrolyzate components for biofuel production from marine biomass

• The SMB process for separation of agarose-hydrolyzate components was developed.
• The SMB process consisted of four zones that were packed with Dowex-50WX8 resin.
• It was optimized to maximize throughput while maintaining purity and yield ≥ 98%.
• The relevant SMB experiments were performed under the optimized conditions.
• This will contribute to the economics of biofuel production from marine biomass.

The economically-efficient separation of galactose, levulinic acid (LA), and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in acid hydrolyzate of agarose has been a key issue in the area of biofuel production from marine biomass. To address this issue, an optimal simulated moving bed (SMB) process for continuous separation of the three agarose-hydrolyzate components with high purities, high yields, and high throughput was developed in this study. As a first step for this task, the adsorption isotherm and mass-transfer parameters of each component on the qualified adsorbent were determined through a series of multiple frontal experiments. The determined parameters were then used in optimizing the SMB process for the considered separation. Finally, the optimized SMB process was tested experimentally using a self-assembled SMB unit with four zones. The SMB experimental results and the relevant computer simulations verified that the developed process in this study was quite successful in the economically-efficient separation of galactose, LA, and 5-HMF in a continuous mode with high purities and high yields. It is thus expected that the developed SMB process in this study will be able to serve as one of the trustworthy ways of improving the economic feasibility of biofuel production from marine biomass.