Sub- and Supercritical Water Liquefaction of Kraft Lignin and Black Liquor Derived Lignin

Jukka Lappalainen, David Baudouin, Ursel Hornung, Julia Schuler, Kristian Melin, Saša Bjelić, Frédéric Vogel, Jukka Konttinen and Tero Joronen
Additional contact information
Jukka Lappalainen: Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, 33720 Tampere, Finland
David Baudouin: Bioenergy and Catalysis Laboratory (LBK), Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
Ursel Hornung: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology (IKFT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Julia Schuler: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology (IKFT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Kristian Melin: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, 02150 Espoo, Finland
Saša Bjelić: Bioenergy and Catalysis Laboratory (LBK), Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
Frédéric Vogel: Bioenergy and Catalysis Laboratory (LBK), Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
Jukka Konttinen: Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, 33720 Tampere, Finland
Tero Joronen: Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, 33720 Tampere, Finland

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-45

Abstract: To mitigate global warming, humankind has been forced to develop new efficient energy solutions based on renewable energy sources. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising technology that can efficiently produce bio-oil from several biomass sources. The HTL process uses sub- or supercritical water for producing bio-oil, water-soluble organics, gaseous products and char. Black liquor mainly contains cooking chemicals (mainly alkali salts) lignin and the hemicellulose parts of the wood chips used for cellulose digestion. This review explores the effects of different process parameters, solvents and catalysts for the HTL of black liquor or black liquor-derived lignin. Using short residence times under near- or supercritical water conditions may improve both the quality and the quantity of the bio-oil yield. The quality and yield of bio-oil can be further improved by using solvents (e.g., phenol) and catalysts (e.g., alkali salts, zirconia). However, the solubility of alkali salts present in black liquor can lead to clogging problem in the HTL reactor and process tubes when approaching supercritical water conditions.

Keywords: hydrothermal liquefaction; black liquor; lignin from black liquor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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