Black liquor from straw pulping process: characterization, treatment and valorization to adhesive and bioplastics

红叶纸浆有限公司（RLP）由一群经验丰富的纸浆和造纸行业专业人士成立，希望利用这一转变向市场提供更可持续的纸浆产品。红叶将成为加拿大第一家开发、建设和运营非木纤维纸浆厂的实体。该设施预计将利用约29万吨废秸秆，并将生产18.2万吨含有木质素、半纤维素和营养物质的纸浆和黑液。虽然纤维素纸浆的应用已经很成熟，但红叶纸浆公司有兴趣寻找可持续管理黑液并将其转化为高价值生物产品的方法。该研究的总体目标是全面了解黑液的组成以及麦草制浆过程中木质素和半纤维素的性质。重点将是评估废水处理厂生物降解性的可行性，并评估粘合剂、生物塑料和生物甲烷合成的价值。本研究将为研究在温和碱性条件下生产的麦秸的木质素和半纤维素的性质提供新的信息。研究了氢氧化钠和氢氧化钾对木质素和半纤维素性能的影响。木质素和半纤维素在粘合剂和生物塑料开发中的应用将促进对合成过程的了解和对生物质未充分利用成分的利用。通过创造生物基产品和投资尖端研究来支持农业生物经济的增长，以创造良好的就业机会和清洁经济，对加拿大来说非常重要。黑液的有效管理和转化为高价值的生物产品将提高项目的可持续性，并有可能从木质素和半纤维素的利用中产生额外的经济效益。

Red Leaf Pulp Ltd. (RLP) was established by a group of experienced pulp and paper industry professionals looking to capitalize on the shift to providing a more sustainable pulp product to the market. Red Leaf will be Canada's first entity to develop, construct, and operate a non-wood fibre pulp plant. The facility is anticipated to utilize approximately 290,000 tones of waste straw and will produce 182,000 tonnes of pulp and black liquor containing lignin, hemicellulose, and nutrients. While the application of cellulose pulp is well established, Red Leaf Pulp is interested to identify ways to sustainably manage black liquor and its conversion to higher value bioproducts. The overall objective of the proposed research is to develop comprehensive understanding of the composition of black liquor and the properties of lignin and hemicellulose from the wheat straw pulping process. The focus will be on assessing the feasibility for biodegradability in wastewater treatment plants and valorization for the synthesis of adhesives, bioplastics, and biomethane. The proposed research will generate new information on the properties of lignin and hemicellulose from wheat straw produced under mild alkaline conditions. The effect of reagent (sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide) on the properties of lignin and hemicellulose will also be investigated. The application of lignin and hemicellulose in the development of adhesives and bioplastics will advance the knowledge of the synthesis process and use for the underutilized components of biomass.Supporting the growth of the agricultural bio-economy by creating bio-based products and investing in cutting-edge research to develop good jobs and a clean economy is of great importance to Canada. The effective management and conversion of black liquor to high value bioproducts will enhance the sustainability of the project with potential to generate additional economic benefits from the utilization of lignin and hemicellulose.