PRODUCTION OF XYLOOLIGOSACCHARIDES IN BATCH AND MICROCHANNEL REACTORS

The xylan polymer is found abundantly in plant cells, and its oligosaccharides have several pharmaceutical applications. Currently, the xylan hydrolysis for xylooligosaccharides production is performed in batch reactors with the use of xylanases as catalyst, and reaction length and concentrations must be carefully monitored to avoid excessive production of xylose in this series reaction. Microchannel reactors provide much better control of these parameters and can improve the efficiency of the process. Thus, the objective of this work is the hydrolysis of xylan in batch reactor and microchannel for the production of xylooligosaccharides. The results demonstrated differences between the two modes of reaction conduction, and microchannel reactions showed a better selectivity to xylotetraose while keeping xylose concentrations low, demonstrating the potential of microreactors for this application.