Impact of Hot-Water Extraction on Acetone-Water Oxygen Delignification of Paulownia Spp. and Lignin Recovery

Chen Gong and Biljana M. Bujanovic
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Chen Gong: Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Biljana M. Bujanovic: Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA

Energies, 2014, vol. 7, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: A hardwood-based biorefinery process starting with hot-water extraction (HWE) is recommended in order to remove most of the hemicelluloses/xylans before further processing. HWE may be followed by delignification in acetone/water in the presence of oxygen (AWO) for the production of cellulose and lignin. In this study, the HWE-AWO sequence was evaluated for its effectiveness at removing lignin from the fast-growing species Paulownia tomentosa (PT) and Paulownia elongata (PE), in comparison with the reference species, sugar maple ( Acer saccharum , SM). HWE might lead to a remarkable increase in lignin accessibility, and as a result, a greater AWO delignification degree was observed for extracted PT, PE, and SM than for unextracted ones. Organosolv lignin was recovered from the spent liquor of AWO delignification of PT with/without prior HWE and characterized to evaluate the benefits of HWE on the lignin structure and purity. The lignin recovered from the spent liquor of HWE-AWO sequence is of higher purity and lighter color than that recovered from the AWO spent liquor. These properties along with low sulfur content are desirable for lignin high-value applications.

Keywords: hot-water extraction; acetone-water oxygen delignification; Paulownia tomentosa; Paulownia elongata; Acer saccharum; organosolv lignin (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: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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