Multifunctional electrospun carbon nanofibres from bio-refinery byproducts for alternative energy devices

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In cellulosic ethanol industries, roughly equal amounts of ethanol and lignin are produced on a quantum basis. The forecasted 100 billion gallon of biomass ethanol to be produced per year will be accompanied by around 300 billion kilograms of lignin. One of the challenging issues for the cellulosic ethanol industry is to investigate value-added products from the lignin. This present proposal looks to investigate the highly efficient low-cost synthesis of continuous carbon nanofibre structures from undervalued lignin by an advanced electrospinning techniques followed by controlled carbonisation. It also will study their application in alternative energy devices as a substitute for high cost traditionally produced carbon nanofibres and nanotubes. The lignin from bioethanol production is structurally different than lignin from paper industries. Therefore, this project also takes the novel approach of investigating different lignins forms from varied feedstocks and pre-treatments as used in the cellulosic ethanol industry. This will add new knowledge to the understanding of lignin structures and their conversion to carbon nanofibre by electrospinning. Lignin has an advantage as a precursor for the synthesis of carbon nanostructures due to its high carbon content, which expected to give an excellent yield of carbon nanofibres. The overall goal of this project is to accelerate the industrial use of nano-bio-materials by creating a scientific knowledge base. This foundation will be established by combining fundamental science with economically viable process technologies to ensure applicability to industry. Success in the utilization of lignin, a "bio-refinery byproduct," as a source of raw materials for carbon nanofibres, will satisfy various federal laws and regulations that encourage the use of biobased materials, while providing additional income to the biofuel industries. The emergence of a Canadian knowledge base for new nanobiomaterials will enhance the global competitiveness for the Canadian alternative energy device manufacturing sector.