Abstract
Lignin is primarily burned for heat and power in industrial processes, but its aromaticity and high energy content make it a promising source for liquid fuels, fuel additives, and chemical feedstocks. Conversion of lignin to monomers and smaller molecules can be done thermochemically through gasification; however, this process does not produce the desired fraction of liquid products, mainly yielding gases and char. In addition, such processing of lignin on a larger scale may encounter barriers, namely difficulty achieving selectivity of the conversion reactions and extensive requirements for separations, both before and after treatment of the material. A low temperature conversion of lignin may achieve better thermodynamic efficiency, provided a target catalyst can be used to generate a significant conversion of product. This project includes discussion of.
• the experimental evaluation of a number of different low temperature (20–30°C) catalytic pathways for the decompo sition of lignin into small molecules, and.
• the evaluation of flowsheets for lignin conversion in terms of thermodynamic efficiency, separation requirements, and technical feasibility.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2783-2796 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Separation Science and Technology (Philadelphia) |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 17 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 22 2014 |
Keywords
- acidoloysis
- ether cleavage
- gasification
- hydrodeoxygenation
- hydrogenation
- lignin thermochemical conversion
- pyrolysis