Valorization of loquat seeds by hydrothermal carbonization for the production of hydrochars and aqueous phases as added-value products

Gözmen, Belgin | Görmez, Özkan | Saçlı, Barış | Çalhan Doğan, Selda

In the framework of circular bio-economy, waste loquat seeds were utilized for the production of two addedvalue products. The seeds were hydrothermally carbonized at a temperature range of 150–250 ◦C and time range 2–6 h and the resultant hydrochars and aqueous phases were characterized using various methods. The optimum higher heating value of 30.64 MJ kg− 1 , ash content of 1.99 wt % and alkali index of 0.05 were achieved for the hydrochar prepared at 250 ◦C and 6 h, establishing its suitability for energy-related applications. The aqueous phase obtained at 250 ◦C and 6 h achieved 90% scavenging of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) radical and had a IC50 value of 43.71 μg mL− 1 . Principal component analysis showed that the production of phenols, ketones, alkenes a...