GOALI: An Investigation of Depolymerization and Condensation Reactions of Lignin Under Alkaline Conditions

化学结构、动力学和机制计划支持纽约州立大学环境科学和林业学院的Raymond C.Francis教授获得与工业学术联系机会(GOALI)奖。他将与Andritz，Inc.研究助理Aaron Levitt博士合作。Francis教授将致力于进一步提高从制浆废水或黑液(BL)中回收能量的能力，制浆废水或黑液含有制浆过程中原始切片质量的45%-55%，具有相对较高的热值。硫磺含量高阻碍了能源回收，因此，总体目标是进一步研究非硫NaOH/Anraquone工艺(Soda/AQ或SAQ)，更具体地说，试图了解为什么SAQ纸浆比硫酸盐纸浆更难漂白。对可漂性问题的详细研究导致了SAQ过程的改进，其中新的方法可能导致商业上可行的过程。在国家科学基金会化学部化学结构、动力学和机制计划的支持下，Raymond C.Francis博士将展示如果更多的能源来自木材和其他生物质(二氧化碳中性来源)，以及减少向环境中排放的硫化合物，社会将如何受益。这项研究还可能开发出可供整个科学界使用的新机制、技术和分析工具。NSF的资金将直接和间接地帮助教育和培训研究生在关键领域的工艺改进，以增加从木材和其他丰富的生物质生产能源和化学产品。弗朗西斯教授目前管理着四名博士生和一名硕士研究生，其中包括一名黑人男性和一名女性，他们都应该在2011年8月之前毕业，获得博士学位。自2008年5月以来，他还让三名女性获得了硕士学位，自那以来，这三人都取得了巨大的成功。国家科学基金会的资金将帮助该大学的合作者继续通过出版物和会议传播新知识，并吸引业界的支持。自2006年3月该方案启动以来，已出版了9份经审阅的出版物，并在国际会议上作了多次发言。

The Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms Program supports Professor Raymond C. Francis at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with this Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award. He will work with Dr. Aaron Levitt, a Research Associate at Andritz, Inc. Professor Francis will work to further enhance energy recovery from pulping effluent or black liquor (BL), which contains 45-55% of the original chip mass from the pulping process and has a relatively high caloric value. Energy recovery is hampered by high sulfur content, thus, the overall aim is to further investigate the non-sulfur NaOH/anthraquinone process (soda/AQ or SAQ) and more specifically to try to understand why SAQ pulps are more difficult to bleach than kraft pulps. A detailed study of the bleachability problem has led to improvements in the SAQ process where new approaches may lead to a commercially viable process.With the support of the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms Program in the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation, Dr. Raymond C. Francis will demonstrate how society would benefit if more energy were to be produced from wood and other biomass (CO2-neutral sources) and by a reduction in the emission of reduced sulfur compounds into the environment. Development of new mechanisms, techniques and analytical tools that can be used by the entire scientific community is also likely to result from the research. The NSF funding would directly and indirectly help to educate and train graduate students in the critical area of process modifications to increase energy and chemical production from wood and other biomass that are abundant. Professor Francis presently supervises four PhD and one MSc students, including a black male and a female who should both graduate with PhD degrees by August 2011. He has also graduated three females with MSc degrees since May 2008 and all three have enjoyed great success since then. NSF funding would assist the university co-PI in continuing to disseminate new knowledge through publications and conferences and to attract industry support. Nine refereed publications have been achieved since the program started in March 2006 and numerous presentations have been made at International Conferences.