4. Conclusions
In this work, a solid-acid catalyst (commercially available sulfonated
polymer Amberlyst-15) was applied to the hydrolysis of
marine red macro-algae G. verrucosa to produce sugars suitable
for the production of biofuels and chemicals. In the solid-acid-catalyzed
hydrolysis of G. verrucosa, the attained sugar concentration
was 61 g/L TRS (or 10.8 g/L glucose, 41.1 g/L galactose), at a 7.5 L/S
ratio, 15% solid-acid catalyst, 140 C, and 150 min. Under these
conditions, 10.7 g/L of 5-HMF and 2.5 g/L of LA also were obtained.
In light of the overall results, marine macro-algae G. verrucosa can
be considered offer great potential as a feedstock for production of