Microwave-Assisted γ-Valerolactone Production for Biomass Lignin Extraction: A Cascade Protocol

Molecules

Silvia Tabasso¹  Diego Carnaroglio²  Emanuela Calcio Gaudino²  Giorgio Grillo²  Giancarlo Cravotto² 

[1] Dipartimento di Chimica, University of Turin, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Turin, Italy;Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco and NIS-Centre for Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces, University of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, 10125 Turin, Italy;

关键词: lignin;    biomass;    γ-valerolactone;    microwaves;    bio-refinery;   

DOI  :  10.3390/molecules21040413

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The general need to slow the depletion of fossil resources and reduce carbon footprints has led to tremendous effort being invested in creating “greener” industrial processes and developing alternative means to produce fuels and synthesize platform chemicals. This work aims to design a microwave-assisted cascade process for a full biomass valorisation cycle. GVL (γ-valerolactone), a renewable green solvent, has been used in aqueous acidic solution to achieve complete biomass lignin extraction. After lignin precipitation, the levulinic acid (LA)-rich organic fraction was hydrogenated, which regenerated the starting solvent for further biomass delignification. This process does not requires a purification step because GVL plays the dual role of solvent and product, while the reagent (LA) is a product of biomass delignification. In summary, this bio-refinery approach to lignin extraction is a cascade protocol in which the solvent loss is integrated into the conversion cycle, leading to simplified methods for biomass valorisation.

【 授权许可】

Unknown