(415d) Production of Biobased Phenol and Xylenols From Lignin | AIChE

(415d) Production of Biobased Phenol and Xylenols From Lignin

Authors 

Mante, O. - Presenter, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Rodriguez, J., Brookhaven National Laboratory



The production of high valued chemicals as part of a biorefinery is considered as one of the ways to enhance the economic viability of producing biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. Lignin, which constitutes up to 35 wt% of biomass, is a phenolic polymer and is produced as a major byproduct in the process of making cellulosic ethanol and also from pulp and paper mills. Currently, catalytic cracking and hydroprocessing pathways such as hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), hydrogenation, and hydrocracking (HDC) are used for lignin conversion into hydrocarbons. Phenol is also an alternative important industrial chemical that can be produced from lignin. The goal of this work is to develop selective and inexpensive catalytic process for lignin depolymerization into phenol and xylenols that can be used for applications such as phenol/formaldehyde resins, epoxidized novolacs, adhesives, binders and other products. In the present study, TiO2 catalyst was used to promote demethoxylation, dehydroxylation and demethylation of pyrolysis decomposition products from alkali lignin. The effect of catalyst-to-feed ratio and temperature on the conversion of monomeric phenolics into phenol, cresols and xylenols was investigated. The catalytic pyrolysis of kraft lignin was performed using a bench scale pyrolysis system (Py-GC/MS). The performance of TiO2 was compared with ZrO2, CeO2, and MgO. The major products from the process were identified and quantified by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. The catalysts were characterized using TEM, XRD, and NEXAFS. The results showed that TiO2 (anatase) was effective at selectively removing methoxy, hydroxyl and carbonyl functionalities from the monomeric phenolic compounds.

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