Levulinic acid(or 4-oxopentanoic acid), is a 5-carbon carboxylic acid derived from the acid-catalysed degradation of glucose and other hexoses. It can be inhibitory to fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis but can also be a valuable platform chemical from which a wide variety of chemicals, that can substitute for petroleum-derived products, can be derived. It is a versatile platform chemical due to its particular chemistry - it has two highly reactive functional groups (carboxyl and ketone) that allow a great number of synthetic transformations. The United States Department of Energy recognised levulinic acid as one of the top 12 value added chemicals to be derived from biomass.

One derivative of levulinic acid is gamma-Valerloactone, which we can also quantify using our ion chromatography system as well as by using our our GC-MS system.

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Analysis Packages for Levulinic Acid

The Celignis Analysis Package(s) that determine this constituent are listed below:

P22   Organic Acids and Furans
Levulinic Acid, Formic Acid, Hydroxymethylfurfural, Furfural, Acetic Acid, gamma-Valerolactone Further Details

P124   Fermentation Inhibitors in Enzymatic Hydrolysate
Formic Acid, Acetic Acid, Levulinic Acid, Furfural, Hydroxymethylfurfural Further Details

Equipment Used for Levulinic Acid Analysis

Additional Material

Click here to learn more about our various methods for analysing sugar degradation products.

We can determine the Levulinic Acid content of various liquids, including liquids from pre-treatment and hydrolysis processes, click here to learn more about our various methods for analysing process liquids.

We can determine the Levulinic Acid content of pyrolysis bio-oils, click here to learn more about our various methods for analysing bio-oil.