Producing methane from lignin degradation byproducts

将废弃有机材料转化为化学品和燃料是应对化石燃料库存枯竭、气候变化和能源安全等全球问题的一种手段。可用于生产燃料和化学品的废料主要来自生产植物油、乙醇、糖和面粉等产品的设施。这些产品用于生产许多消费品。生产设施产生含有木质素的废弃副产品，木质素是一种复杂的化学物质，不能添加到食品中。许多微生物不能利用木质素，因为它对酶的化学攻击不太敏感。因此，必须将研究重点转向开发将木质素转化为有价值的化学品的非微生物过程。纤维素、半纤维素和木质素是木材等生物质的主要化学成分。相比之下，碳水化合物是由玉米、甜菜、小麦和甘蔗等作物生产的。甘蔗、小麦和甜菜加工成食品的副产品废物富含木质素。在加拿大，纸浆和造纸部门生产纸制品和来自软木材和硬木材的富含木质素的废物。纸浆和造纸行业对加拿大的经济非常重要，开发将木质素转化为增值产品的技术将有助于保持该行业的竞争优势。加拿大的纸浆和造纸行业以及其他类似的全球工业生产黑液，这是一种低价值的废物。木质素可以从废液如黑液中提取。 本论文将利用质子型离子液体从造纸黑液中提取木质素。提取的木质素将用于利用光活化的化学品如二氧化钛和氧化锌以及改性的二氧化钛、氧化锌催化剂以及氧化剂如臭氧和过氧化氢来生产可生物降解的化学品。二氧化钛和氧化锌是市售的，这些金属分解木质素的能力取决于利用光和其他因素。在项目的最后阶段，自然产生的细菌将被用来从光催化过程和化学氧化剂的副产品中产生甲烷。甲烷是一种有价值的燃料，可用于住宅，工业和运输部门。

Converting waste organic materials into chemicals and fuels are a means to combat global issues such as depleting fossil fuels inventories, climate change and energy security. Major source of wastes materials available for producing fuels and chemicals are available from facilities producing products such as vegetable oils, ethanol, sugar and flour. These products are employed in producing numerous consumer products. Manufacturing facilities produce waste byproducts containing lignin, a complicated chemical, which cannot be added to food products. Many microorganisms are unable to utilize lignin because it is not very susceptible to chemical attack by enzymes. Hence, a research shift must be focused on developing non-microbial processes for converting lignin into valuable chemicals. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are the major chemical components in biomass such as wood. In comparison, carbohydrates are produced from crops such as corn, beet, wheat and sugar cane. Wastes byroducts from sugar cane, wheat and beet processing into foods are rich in lignin. In Canada, the pulp and paper sector produces paper products and a lignin rich waste from soft and hard woods. The pulp and paper sector is important to Canada's economy and developing technologies to convert lignin into value added products will assist in sustaining a competitive edge of this industry. The Canadian pulp and paper sector and other similar global industries produce black liquor, a low value waste. Lignin can be extracted from waste streams such as black liquor. In the proposed work, lignin will be extracted from black liquor using protic ionic liquids. The extracted lignin will be employed to produce biodegradable chemicals utilizing photoactivated chemicals such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as well as modified titanium dioxide, zinc oxide catalysts as well as oxidants such as ozone and hydrogen peroxide. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are commercially available and the ability of these metals to breakdown lignin depends on utilizing light and other factors. In the final project stage, naturally occurring bacteria will be employed to produce methane from the byproducts from the photocatalytic process and chemical oxidants. Methane is a valuable fuel which can be utilized in the residential, industrial and transportation sectors.