Ácidos orgánicos y su importancia en el desarrollo sostenible

In the last years, organic acids have taken importance on diverse industrial applications. Various studies have taken place, where the use of such substances is proposed as replace of inorganic acids, as sulfuric acid, among others. Inorganic acids are generally aggressive compounds, whose production represents a high environmental impact. On the other hand, the organic acids are less aggressive substances, which can be obtained from biomass. Thus, its production is associated to a lower environmental impact, with potential to contribute to the implementation of circular economy schemes. On the other hand, among the applications on which organic acids can replace to the inorganic ones, the recovery of valuable metals from residues can be mentioned, increasing the potential benefits of such acids to the environment. In this work, the characteristics of the organic acids are presented. The strategies required to produce them from biomass are also discussed, and their potential applications in hydrometallurgy are described.