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

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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.