what is furfural
Furfural is an organic compound derived from a variety of agricultural byproducts, including corncobs, oat, wheat bran, and sawdust. The name furfural comes from the Latin word furfur, meaning bran, referring to its usual source.Furfural is a heterocyclic aldehyde, with the ring structure shown at right. Its chemical formula is O C 4 H 3 CHO. It is a colorless oily liquid with the odor of almonds, which quickly darkens when exposed to air.ydrogenation of furfural provides furfuryl alcohol (FA), which is a useful chemical intermediate and which may be further hydrogenated to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA). THFA is used as a nonhazardous solvent in agricultural formulations and as an adjuvant to help herbicides penetrate the leaf structure.