(602m) Thermal-Catalytic Cracking of Lignin for Production of Value-Added Chemicals

Lignin is the second largest components in the lignocellulosic biomass, which can be the valuable byproduct of biorefinery process. If the lignin would be modified or hydrolyzed, high value-added lignin-derived products can be formed.

In the previous reports, ammonia-based pretreatment methods have been introduced as the one of the most effective delignification methods for lignocellulosic biomass. Approximately 60-70% of lignin was hydrolyzed and this chemically modified lignin hydrolysate has a potential for the production of value-added chemicals through thermal-catalytic cracking of lignin because low pH decreases the reaction temperature and increases the reaction rate.

In this paper, various reaction conditions were explored to convert lignin into value-added products. Reaction temperature and pressure were two main factors in this study. From the thermal cracking reaction in the presence of catalysts, several phenolic compounds and carboxylic acids were produced in the form of liquid. Produced gas and solid were also collected and analyzed.