Valorization of Green Coconut Husk Powder for the Sustainable Production of Levulinic Acid

ABSTRACT Green coconut husk, an abundant agro‐industrial residue from coastal regions, represents a renewable source of carbohydrates for sustainable chemical production. In this study, green coconut husk powder (GCHP) was catalytically converted into levulinic acid (LA), a versatile platform molecule with multiple industrial applications. Three catalysts, hydrochloric acid, titanium dioxide, and aluminum sulfate, were evaluated, with aluminum sulfate showing the highest catalytic performance. A 2 3 factorial design with center points was applied to investigate the effects of temperature, reaction time, and biomass‐to‐catalyst ratio on LA yield. Temperature was the most significant factor ( p = 0.01), and the regression model showed excellent agreement with the experimental data ( R 2 = 0.98). Optimal conditions (190°C, 2 h, biomass:catalyst = 1:0.25) increased the LA yield from 8.37% to 42.93%. These findings demonstrate the catalytic potential of aluminum sulfate for green coconut husk valorization, offering a sustainable pathway toward bio‐based platform molecules.