Lignocellulosic Ethanol Biorefinery: Valorization of Lignin-Rich Stream through Hydrothermal Liquefaction

Edoardo Miliotti, Stefano Dell’Orco, Giulia Lotti, Andrea Maria Rizzo, Luca Rosi and David Chiaramonti
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Edoardo Miliotti: RE-CORD, Viale Kennedy 182, Scarperia e San Piero, 50038 Florence, Italy
Stefano Dell’Orco: RE-CORD, Viale Kennedy 182, Scarperia e San Piero, 50038 Florence, Italy
Giulia Lotti: RE-CORD, Viale Kennedy 182, Scarperia e San Piero, 50038 Florence, Italy
Andrea Maria Rizzo: RE-CORD, Viale Kennedy 182, Scarperia e San Piero, 50038 Florence, Italy
Luca Rosi: RE-CORD, Viale Kennedy 182, Scarperia e San Piero, 50038 Florence, Italy
David Chiaramonti: RE-CORD, Viale Kennedy 182, Scarperia e San Piero, 50038 Florence, Italy

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-27

Abstract: Hydrothermal liquefaction of lignin-rich stream from lignocellulosic ethanol production at an industrial scale was carried out in a custom-made batch test bench. Light and heavy fractions of the HTL biocrude were collected following an ad-hoc developed two-steps solvent extraction method. A full factorial design of experiment was performed, investigating the influence of temperature, time and biomass-to-water mass ratio (B/W) on product yields, biocrude elemental composition, molecular weight and carbon balance. Total biocrude yields ranged from 39.8% to 65.7% w / w . The Temperature was the main influencing parameter as regards the distribution between the light and heavy fractions of the produced biocrude: the highest amount of heavy biocrude was recovered at 300 °C, while at 350 and 370 °C the yield of the light fraction increased, reaching 41.7% w / w at 370 °C. Instead, the B/W ratio did not have a significant effect on light and heavy biocrude yields. Feedstock carbon content was mainly recovered in the biocrude (up to 77.6% w / w ). The distribution between the light and heavy fractions followed the same trend as the yields. The typical aromatic structure of the lignin-rich stream was also observed in the biocrudes, indicating that mainly hydrolysis depolymerization occurred. The weight-average molecular weight of the total biocrude was strictly related to the process temperature, decreasing from 1146 at 300 °C to 565 g mol −1 at 370 °C.

Keywords: lignin; biorefinery; hydrothermal liquefaction; biocrude; depolymerization (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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