From waste to value: Utilisation of lignin streams as raw materials for the production of chemicals and biofuels

在可预见的未来，从化石燃料向可持续经济的转变是人类面临的主要挑战之一。木质纤维素生物质是地球上最丰富的可利用材料之一，可以作为原油的替代品用于化学品和燃料生产。虽然目前只有一小部分木质纤维素材料用于纸浆生产，但人们希望充分利用生物质，为化石衍生产品提供替代品。木质素是木质纤维素生物质的一种聚合物成分，约占木材质量的三分之一。它是自然界中唯一丰富的芳香烃来源。在博士课程期间，我的目标是通过开发新的木材分馏方法以及开发最终产品，在木质素增值的最前沿工作。这使我对木质纤维素生物质特性和木质素化学有了深入的了解。在博士课程期间，我将专注于开发催化上游生物精炼（CUB）的方法，并发现可以从CUB获得的平台化学品合成的可能的最终产品。为了加强和了解木质素在木材中的催化分馏，氟化醇的三元混合物将与异丙醇和水一起开发。

A transition from fossil-based to a sustainable economy is one of the major challenges humanity faces in the foreseeable future. Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most abundantly available materials on Earth and can potentially serve as an alternative for crude oil for chemicals and fuels production. While currently only a fraction of lignocellulosic material is utilised in pulp production, it is desired to valorise the biomass fully, offering alternatives to fossil-derived products.Lignin, a polymeric component of lignocellulosic biomass constitutes around one-third of the mass of wood. It is the only abundant source of aromatics in nature. During the PhD programme, I aim to work at the forefront of lignin valorisation by developing new novel methods for wood fractionation as well as work on development of the end-products. This allows me to develop a deep understanding of lignocellulosic biomass properties and lignin chemistry.During the PhD programme, I will focus on developing methods for catalytic upstream biorefining (CUB) and discover the possible end-products which can be synthesised from platform chemicals obtained with CUB. To enhance and understand the catalytic fractionation of lignin in wood, ternary mixtures of fluorinated alcohols will be exploited along with isopropanol and water.