EAGER: Lignin as a Sustainable Resource for Hydrocarbon-Like Transportation Fuels

EAGER：木质素作为类碳氢化合物运输燃料的可持续资源

• 批准号: 1250663
• 负责人: Erdogan Kiran
• 金额: $ 5.65万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1250663&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Lignin; Sustainable; Resource; Hydrocarbon

PI: Kiran, ErdoganProposal Number: 1250663Institution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityTitle: EAGER: Lignin as a Sustainable Resource for Hydrocarbon-Like Transportation FuelsAn important future goal in alternative energy research is the development of biofuel technologies that are based on non-edible feedstocks. In this context, the development of resources with reduced feedstock variations that are sustainable and are not based on food crops is a continuing challenge. Equally important is the transformation of biomass to hydrocarbon-like liquid fuels with low oxygen-to- carbon (O/C) and high hydrogen-to-carbon ratios (H/C) as this is required for compatibility with petroleum- based transportation fuels for which future demands are projected to be particularly high.Among the biomass components (namely cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin), lignin has the lowest O/C and the highest H/C ratio. As such, if it were to exist as a uniform feedstock, it would be an extremely attractive starting material for conversion to hydrocarbon-like liquid transportation fuels. Currently, such a resource does not exist. Lignins that are available are the byproducts of pulping processes, which are complex mixtures with high content of carbohydrate fractions. They have high O/C ratios, and their compositions depend on the pulping process employed.This EAGER research project will explore the feasibility of an integrated approach to generate a uniform carbohydrates-free lignin feedstock as a resource for generation of hydrocarbon-like transportation fuels. The process that is envisioned will employ the tunable properties of supercritical fluids combined with the dissolving power of ionic liquids. An integrated process is being considered that will also be generating value-added by products which can themselves be a resource for alternative fuels or chemical feedstocks. Among the byproducts are oils and fats which can be a resource for biodiesel; or extractives-free cellulose and hemicelluloses which can be a resource for bioethanol or can directly be used as a pulp source in paper production. The primary focus of the initial exploration is however on the feasibility of generation of a carbohydrates-free uniform lignin source which can be converted to liquid biofuels with low O/C and high H/C ratio, similar to petroleum-based hydrocarbon fuels using mixtures of ionic liquids with supercritical fluids.The research will generate the key preliminary data pertaining to supercritical fluids and ionic liquid mixtures with respect to their penetration, extraction and modification power of the complex cell walls of plant and woody biomass. New information will be generated on the miscibility of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in mixtures of supercritical fluids and ionic liquids as well as new information on depolymerization and hydrodeoxygenation of extractives-free lignin. These findings are expected to be also of value in several other application areas such as materials science and polymer modifications. This research project will train one graduate and one underdraduate student in the involved multidisciplinary disciplines.

主要研究者：Kiran，Erdogan提案编号：1250663机构：弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学标题：EAGER：木质素作为烃类运输燃料的可持续资源替代能源研究的一个重要的未来目标是开发基于非食用原料的生物燃料技术。在这方面，开发可持续的、不以粮食作物为基础的、减少原料变化的资源是一个持续的挑战。同样重要的是将生物质转化为具有低氧碳比（0/C）和高氢碳比（H/C）的烃类液体燃料，因为这是与石油基运输燃料相容性所需的，预计未来对石油基运输燃料的需求特别高。在生物质组分（即纤维素、半纤维素和木质素）中，木质素具有最低的0/C和最高的H/C比。因此，如果它作为均匀的原料存在，它将是转化为烃类液体运输燃料的极具吸引力的起始材料。目前，这样的资源并不存在。可用的木质素是制浆过程的副产物，其是具有高含量碳水化合物级分的复杂混合物。它们具有高O/C比，其组成取决于所采用的制浆工艺。EAGER研究项目将探索综合方法的可行性，以产生均匀的无碳水化合物木质素原料，作为产生烃类运输燃料的资源。所设想的过程将采用超临界流体的可调特性与离子液体的溶解能力相结合。目前正在考虑一种综合工艺，该工艺还将产生附加值产品，这些产品本身可以成为替代燃料或化学原料的资源。副产品中有油和脂肪，可作为生物柴油的资源;或无提取物的纤维素和半纤维素，可作为生物乙醇的资源或可直接用作造纸中的纸浆来源。然而，初步探索的主要焦点是产生无碳水化合物的均匀木质素源的可行性，该木质素源可以转化为具有低O/C和高H/C比的液体生物燃料，类似于使用离子液体与超临界流体的混合物的石油基烃燃料。该研究将产生关于超临界流体和离子液体混合物的渗透性的关键初步数据，植物和木本生物质复杂细胞壁的提取和修饰能力。新的信息将产生的纤维素，半纤维素和木质素的超临界流体和离子液体的混合物中的可溶解性，以及新的信息解聚和加氢脱氧提取物的无木质素。这些发现预计也将在其他几个应用领域，如材料科学和聚合物改性的价值。 本研究计画将培养一位研究生及一位本科生于相关的多学科领域。