Ambient-Pressured Acid-Catalysed Ethylene Glycol Organosolv Process: Liquefaction Structure-Activity Relationships from Model Cellulose-Lignin Mixtures to Lignocellulosic Wood Biomass.

Edita Jasiukaitytė-Grojzdek,Blaž Likozar,Filipa A Vicente,Miha Grilc

doi:10.3390/polym13121988

Edita Jasiukaitytė-Grojzdek, Blaž Likozar + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13121988

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Journal: Polymers	Publication Date: Jun 17, 2021
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: National Institute of Chemistry

Abstract

Raising the awareness of carbon dioxide emissions, climate global warming and fossil fuel depletion has renewed the transition towards a circular economy approach, starting by addressing active bio-economic precepts that all portion amounts of wood are valorised as products. This is accomplished by minimizing residues formed (preferably no waste materials), maximizing reaction productivity yields, and optimising catalysed chemical by-products. Within framework structure determination, the present work aims at drawing a parallel between the characterisation of cellulose–lignin mixture (derived system model) liquefaction and real conversion process in the acidified ethylene glycol at moderate process conditions, i.e., 150 °C, ambient atmospheric pressure and potential bio-based solvent, for 4 h. Extended-processing liquid phase is characterized considering catalyst-transformed reactant species being produced, mainly recovered lignin-based polymer, by quantitative 31P, 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, as well as the size exclusion- (SEC) or high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation for higher or lower molecular weight compound compositions, respectively. Such mechanistic pathway analytics help to understand the steps in mild organosolv biopolymer fractionation, which is one of the key industrial barriers preventing a more widespread manufacturing of the biomass-derived (hydroxyl, carbonyl or carboxyl) aromatic monomers or oligomers for polycarbonates, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes and (epoxy) resins.

Highlights

Sustainability, industrial ecology, eco-efficiency and green chemistry are directing the development of the generation of materials, products and processes
We focused this research on wood liquefaction using milder conditions—namely, 150 ◦ C, and atmospheric pressure but for longer processing time (4 h) to achieve an efficient wood liquefaction and lignin-based polymer recovery
This study aimed at understanding the formation of ethylene glycol organosolv lignin isolated via a prolonged organosolv treatment

Summary

Introduction

Sustainability, industrial ecology, eco-efficiency and green chemistry are directing the development of the generation of materials, products and processes. Biodegradable plastics and bio-based composites generated from renewable biomass feedstock are regarded as promising materials that could replace synthetic polymers and reduce global dependence on fossil resources [1,2]. Wood has long been used as a raw material for construction and fuel, only over the last decades its potential for conversion into bio-fuels (e.g., bio-ethanol), production of commodity chemicals and biodegradable materials emerged [3,4,5]. Most research has been directed towards a more sustainable pathway to isolate cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from biomass while finding green, cost-effective and efficient technologies to fractionate these compounds and apply them in several products [6,7,8].

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