A new multi-phase, low-temperature method for upgrading lignin bio-oil into hydrocarbons may help increase the use of lignin, which is currently mostly considered waste from cellulose and bioethanol production derived from trees and other woody biomass.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated that by employing a dual catalyst system made of superacid and platinum particles, they can introduce hydrogen and remove oxygen from lignin bio-oil, thereby enhancing its potential as a fuel and a source for chemical feedstocks. This novel hydrogen cycle process can be conducted at low temperatures and under ambient pressure, making the conversion more practical and lowering the energy required.
Yulin Deng, a professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Renewable Bioproducts Institute, explained that producing oil from biomass is an important goal from both environmental and sustainability perspectives. With global lignin production from paper and bioethanol manufacturing amounting to 50 million tons annually, over 95% of this material is currently burned for heat. Deng’s research focuses on finding feasible methods to upgrade low molecular weight lignin compounds, making them viable as high-quality biofuels and biochemicals.
The details of this process were published on September 7 in Nature Energy, with funding provided by the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech.
Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are extracted from biomass such as trees and grasses. While cellulose is widely used for the production of paper, ethanol, and various other products, lignin—an intricate substance responsible for providing structural integrity to plants—remains underutilized due to the challenges in breaking it down into low-viscosity oils that could be further processed into fuels like kerosene or diesel.
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