Separation and Purification of Xylose Oligomers Using Fast Centrifugal Partition Chromatography

Characterization of the kinetics of oligomer conversion to xylose is crucial because monomeric xylose can yield furfural, a by-product which must be eliminated, or at least minimized, if ethanol yields are to be maximized. However, the study of oligomer depolymerization kinetics requires a significant amount of xylose oligomers of which few reference standards are commercially available, or are prohibitively expensive if available. Fast centrifugal partition chromatography with the solvent system of dimethyl sulfoxide, tetrahydrofuran, and water in a 1:6:3 volumetric ratio was used in this study to separate and purify xylan-derived oligomers from birchwood xylan which were partially hydrolyzed to varying degrees of polymerization of xylose oligomers at 130˚C using 0.98% aqueous sulfuric acid for 20 minutes with a 2.5% solid loading. This paper delineates a method for the production and purification of two- and three-xylose units.