Question:easy

Furfural is an economic product that can be produced from which of the following by-product?

Show Hint

Pentosans (pentose polymers) are found in plant cell walls (hemicellulose).
Therefore, only plant-based residues (like sugarcane bagasse or corn cobs) can be precursors for furfural.
  • Cattle waste
  • Bagasse
  • Cow dung
  • Sewage
Show Solution

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Recall what raw material furfural needs.
Furfural is manufactured by acid hydrolysis and dehydration of pentosan sugars, which are a component of hemicellulose, so any agricultural residue that is rich in pentosan-containing hemicellulose is a candidate raw material.
Step 2: Screen the given options for pentosan content.
Cattle waste and cow dung are largely digested organic manure material used mainly for composting or biogas generation and carry very little usable pentosan for chemical extraction. Sewage similarly has negligible pentosan content and is not processed for industrial chemicals.
Step 3: Identify the correct by-product.
Bagasse, the fibrous sugarcane residue left after juice extraction, is well known to be rich in pentosan hemicellulose and is one of the standard commercial feedstocks used worldwide to manufacture furfural.
\[ \boxed{Bagasse} \]
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