LIGNOX - The Selective Oxidation of Lignin in Water

LIGNOX是一种从木质素中生产大量芳香化合物的全新方法，木质素是一种广泛存在的生物废物，目前作为一种低品位热源燃烧。我们的方法基于诺丁汉大学开发的一种工艺，该工艺用于在MnBr2催化的超临界水scH2O中甲基化芳烃的选择性部分氧化。与目前在醋酸溶剂中生产芳香族羧酸的方法相比，这种SCH2O工艺具有潜在的重大优势。LIGNOX涉及三个合作伙伴(I)INVISTA，世界领先的过程技术开发商和许可方，特别是大规模选择氧化；(Ii)国家非粮食作物中心，具有开发生物饲料资源的专业知识；以及(Iii)诺丁汉，在超临界流体，特别是SCH2O方面拥有独特的专业知识。诺丁汉大学的任务是开展支撑该项目的基础化学研究。这些任务包括：(A)设计和优化高压设备，最初将以诺丁汉开发的专利喷嘴反应器为基础；(B)设计和执行实验方案，以确定分别控制C-C键的选择性氧化和乙醚侧链的水解的最佳战略，从而为指导聚合物产品的分解提供工具；(C)开发有效的在线和离线分析程序，用于快速确定反应产物的形态和数量。我们提议的计划的一个关键组成部分是使用FTIR光谱和ATR采样进行在线监测和更快速的反应优化，这是一种新的方法，基于诺丁汉团队使用租赁设备取得的有希望的初步结果。我们寻求资金用于设备、消耗品和必要的人力，以使这一项目成为现实。本项目的重要性在于木质素是极少数芳香族化合物的生物原料之一。因此，LIGNOX是朝着从合适的生物原料生产芳香化合物迈出的重要一步，这种原料有足够的吨位，可以成为世界范围内可行的散装化学品来源。

LIGNOX is an entirely new approach to the production of high-volume aromatic compounds from Lignin, a widely available bio-waste material which is currently burned as a low grade source of heat. Our approach is based in a process developed at Nottingham for the selective partial oxidation of methylated aromatics in supercritical water, scH2O, catalysed by MnBr2. This scH2O process has been shown to have potentially major advantages over current methods for manufacturing aromatic carboxylic acids in acetic acid solvent. LIGNOX involves three partners (i) INVISTA, world-leading developer and licensor of process technology especially large-scale selective oxidation, (ii) the National Non-Food Crops Centre with expertise in exploitation of bio-feed stocks, and (iii) Nottingham which has unique expertise in supercritical fluids, especially scH2O. Nottingham's role is to carry out the fundamental chemical investigation underpinning the project. The tasks include (a) designing and optimizing the high pressure equipment, initially to be based on the patented Nozzle Reactor developed at Nottingham, (b) designing and carrying out an experimental programme to establish the best strategy for controlling separately the selective oxidation of C-C bonds and hydrolysis of ether side chains, thereby providing the tools for directing the breakdown of the polymeric products and (c) developing effective on-line and off-line analytical procedures for the rapid speciation and quantification of reaction products. A key component of our proposed programme is the use of FTIR spectroscopy with ATR sampling for on-line monitoring and more rapid reaction optimization, a novel approach based on promising preliminary results from the Nottingham team using loaned equipment. We seek funding for equipment, consumables and essential manpower to turn this project into reality. The importance of this project is that Lignin is one of the very few bio-feedstocks for aromatic compounds. Therefore, LIGNOX is a major step torwards manufacturing aromatic compounds from a suitable bio-feedstock, which is available in sufficient tonnage to be a viable source of bulk chemicals on a world-scale.