On the Exploitation of Lignin Slow Pyrolysis Products

Guido Busca (), Elena Spennati, Matteo Borella, Alessandro A. Casazza and Gabriella Garbarino
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Guido Busca: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica e Ambientale, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy
Elena Spennati: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica e Ambientale, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy
Matteo Borella: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica e Ambientale, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy
Alessandro A. Casazza: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica e Ambientale, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy
Gabriella Garbarino: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica e Ambientale, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: The potential of technical lignins as secondary raw materials is discussed. The characteristics of lignin pyrolysis, with particular emphasis on slow pyrolysis technologies, are briefly summarized. The slow pyrolysis process, which can be self-sustained by burning the coproduced gas, can primarily produce high-quality biochar in significant amounts, to be used as a fuel, as a reductant in metallurgy, and as an adsorbent and catalyst component. Together, significant amounts of bio-oil can be produced, rich in guaiacols, which are commercial and expensive chemicals produced today via petrochemical routes and used in pharmacology, food chemistry, polymer chemistry, etc. Such compounds, or bio-oil itself, can also be converted by hydrodeoxygenation into biofuels. A possible simplified flowsheet for a lignin slow pyrolysis process in the frame of a ligneocellulosics-based biorefinery is proposed.

Keywords: biomass; lignin; pyrolysis; biochar; bio-oil; biofuels; antioxidants; pharmaceuticals; polymerization inhibitor; antiknocking (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: 2025
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