Abstract
Valorization of lignin from biofuel production is the key to developing biorefinery technologies for sustainable and economic utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Here we present isolating lignosulfonate from the spent liquors of Sulfite Pretreatment to Overcome the Recalcitrance of Lignocelluloses (SPORL)-pretreated lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir forest residue as a dispersant for coal water slurry. The two SPORL pretreatments were conducted at a pilot scale and resulted in very high ethanol yield from the pretreated biomass. Therefore, demonstrating the commercial utility of these lignosulfonates has practical significance. The two isolated biorefinery lignosulfonates (LSs), Na-LS and Ca-LS, both had a molecular weight of approximately 9000 Da. Fundamental lignin properties such as chemical structure, functional groups were analyzed. The two LSs showed slightly better to equal performance in modifying CWS rheology than a commercial dispersant naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensate (FDN), despite they were less sulfonated than FDN. The practical importance of this study is that the pilot-scale pretreatments that produced the two LSs also produced excellent bioethanol yields at high titer without detoxification and washing. This suggests SPORL pretreatment is a promising technology for economic bioconversion of under-utilized woody biomass.
Highlights
Valorization of lignin from biofuel production is the key to developing biorefinery technologies for sustainable and economic utilization of lignocellulosic biomass
The practical importance of this study is that the pilot-scale pretreatments that produced the two LSs produced excellent bioethanol yields at high titer without detoxification and washing. This suggests SPORL pretreatment is a promising technology for economic bioconversion of under-utilized woody biomass
High value utilization of biorefinery lignin with minimal processing is critical to improve the commercial viability of biofuel production
Summary
Valorization of lignin from biofuel production is the key to developing biorefinery technologies for sustainable and economic utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. The sugar platform as a major lignocellulosic biomass conversion pathway relies on the conversion of carbohydrates to sugars for subsequent processing to fuels and chemicals. While it is very attractive because sugars are flexible building blocks for producing a variety of chemicals and products [1], valorization of the lignin fraction is the key to commercial success because lignin is the second most abundant fraction in lignocelluloses of approximately 15–30 % [2]. We demonstrate a biorefinery lignin, i.e., the water soluble lignin fraction from Sulfite Pretreatment to Overcome the Recalcitrance of Lignocelluloses (SPORL) [5] of softwoods—lignosulfonate (LS), as a dispersant of coal water slurry (CWS) without further processing. Due to the shortage of oil supply in the 70s, CWS technologies was further developed as an
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