GOALI: An Investigation of Depolymerization and Condensation Reactions of Lignin Under Alkaline Conditions

化学结构，动力学和机制计划支持教授雷蒙德C。弗朗西斯在纽约州立大学环境科学与林业学院与此赠款机会学术联络与工业（GOALI）奖。他将与Andritz，Inc.的研究助理Aaron Levitt博士合作。弗朗西斯教授将致力于进一步提高从制浆废水或黑液（BL）中回收的能量，这些废水或黑液含有45-55%的制浆过程中产生的原始碎片质量，并且具有相对较高的热值。能量回收受到高硫含量的阻碍，因此，总体目标是进一步研究无硫NaOH/蒽醌工艺（苏打/AQ或SAQ），更具体地说，试图了解为什么SAQ纸浆比硫酸盐纸浆更难漂白。对可漂白性问题的详细研究已经导致SAQ工艺的改进，其中新的方法可能导致商业上可行的工艺。弗朗西斯将展示如果更多的能源是从木材和其他生物质（二氧化碳中性来源）生产，并通过减少排放到环境中的还原硫化合物，社会将如何受益。研究还可能产生可供整个科学界使用的新机制、技术和分析工具的发展。NSF的资助将直接和间接地帮助教育和培训过程修改的关键领域的研究生，以增加来自木材和其他丰富的生物质的能源和化学品生产。弗朗西斯教授目前指导四名博士和一名硕士学生，包括一名黑人男性和一名女性，他们都应在2011年8月前获得博士学位。自2008年5月以来，他还获得了三名女性硕士学位，这三名女性都取得了巨大的成功。国家科学基金会的资助将帮助大学合作伙伴继续通过出版物和会议传播新知识，并吸引工业界的支持。自2006年3月该方案启动以来，已发表了9篇经评审的出版物，并在国际会议上作了许多介绍。

The Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms Program supports Professor Raymond C. Francis at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with this Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award. He will work with Dr. Aaron Levitt, a Research Associate at Andritz, Inc. Professor Francis will work to further enhance energy recovery from pulping effluent or black liquor (BL), which contains 45-55% of the original chip mass from the pulping process and has a relatively high caloric value. Energy recovery is hampered by high sulfur content, thus, the overall aim is to further investigate the non-sulfur NaOH/anthraquinone process (soda/AQ or SAQ) and more specifically to try to understand why SAQ pulps are more difficult to bleach than kraft pulps. A detailed study of the bleachability problem has led to improvements in the SAQ process where new approaches may lead to a commercially viable process.With the support of the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms Program in the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation, Dr. Raymond C. Francis will demonstrate how society would benefit if more energy were to be produced from wood and other biomass (CO2-neutral sources) and by a reduction in the emission of reduced sulfur compounds into the environment. Development of new mechanisms, techniques and analytical tools that can be used by the entire scientific community is also likely to result from the research. The NSF funding would directly and indirectly help to educate and train graduate students in the critical area of process modifications to increase energy and chemical production from wood and other biomass that are abundant. Professor Francis presently supervises four PhD and one MSc students, including a black male and a female who should both graduate with PhD degrees by August 2011. He has also graduated three females with MSc degrees since May 2008 and all three have enjoyed great success since then. NSF funding would assist the university co-PI in continuing to disseminate new knowledge through publications and conferences and to attract industry support. Nine refereed publications have been achieved since the program started in March 2006 and numerous presentations have been made at International Conferences.