Lignocellulosic Biomass Treatment for Waste Management
The technology aims to fractionate high-value lignin from wastes derived lignocelluloses. The overall biomass conversion is conducted by mixing the biomass with 1,4-butandiol (BDO) in reactor operated under a sequencing batch reactor mode for pretreatment, cellulose regeneration, and enzymatic hydrolysis. The regenerated substrate will be subjected to hydrolysis and the solvent in the spent liquor will be recycled.
In comparison with other organosolv processes, BDO show high feasibility to harvest reactive lignin (high solubility and favorable structure for downstream utilization) at high yield, which does not relate to the severity of pretreatment. The reaction condition of the process is considered mild, which preserve the potential value of the dissolved lignin and hydrolysability of cellulose. The specific features of non-biomass specific, low operation pressure, and high yield make the process particularly suitable to be applied in highly populated cities for waste management.