Hydrothermal Pretreatment of Hazelnut Shells into Xylose and Furfural

In this study, the effect of hydrothermal pretreatment (hydrolysis) of hazelnut shells at different temperatures and times on the xylose and furfural yield were investigated. Production of furfural from hydrothermal pretreated hazelnut shells started at 160°C for 15 minutes. The temperature and time was effective on furfural production. The highest furfural production was 1.25 mg/ ml which was obtained at 200°C for 30 minutes. Xylose and acetic acid also showed a similar behavior to furfural. Acetic acid production had a peak (3.25 mg/ml) at 200°C for 30 minutes. The maximum xylose production was found as 1.36 mg/ml at 200°C for 15 minutes.