Production of adhesives and activated carbon from BioChoice lignin via fast pyrolysis

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Kraft Lignin is a co-product of Kraft pulp and paper mills. Domtar is commercially operating several Kraft mills where the lignin is extracted and combusted to generate low-value energy for the plant. The main objective of the proposed project is to investigate the conversion of lignin into high value products to enhance both economical and environmental benefits associated with the pulp and paper process. In this work, we are proposing to convert the lignin into a bio-oil, which can substitute phenol in phenol-formaldehyde resins used as wood adhesives for the manufacture of plywoods, as well as into a bio-char, which can be activated to produce activated carbon for water purification. At the Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) at Western University we have developed advanced biomass pyrolysis technologies that allow the processing of complex feedstocks which exhibit stickiness such as lignin. Moreover, we have perfected fractional condensation systems allowing the segregation of high quality fractions of bio-oil. The proposed research project will utilize these advanced ICFAR technologies to maximize the value of the Kraft lignin of Domtar by producing and testing the pyrolysis-derived value-added products.