By using unpurified solvents in a reductive catalytic wood fractionation process, its economics, sustainability and efficiency can be drastically improved.
Membrane technology is currently still excluded from separations in more aggressive feeds due to limited chemical robustness. To extent its applicability, a novel thin-film composite (TFC) membrane was synthesized via the homopolymerization of epoxide monomers, resulting in robust poly(epoxyether) top-layers with >90% rose bengal (MW = 1017 Da) and 70% methyl orange (MW = 327 Da) retention with reasonable water fluxes (>2 Lm-²h-1 bar-1). The superior chemical stability of this novel nanofiltration membrane type was proven via treatments in pH 1 and 500 ppm NaOCl (pH 4) for, respectively, 48 h and 2.5 h, after which an unchanged or even improved membrane performance was observed. Additionally, the synthesis of the thin toplayer occurred via an interfacial initiation of the polymerization (IIP), rather than via state-ofthe-art interfacial polymerization (IP). This IIP approach allowed to convert well-known monophasic bulk epoxide polymerization (commonly used in e.g. the automotive and coating industry), into the synthesis of thin, yet cross-linked top-layers.
After
a decade of intensive mostly lab-scale research on reductive
catalytic fractionation (RCF), this manuscript aims to promote RCF’s
further advancement toward higher technology readiness levels (TRL).
Three RCF biorefinery variations in different solvent and temperature
conditions were studied on three reactor types for their impact of
upscaling (from 100 mL to 50 L) on the quality of the lignin oil,
carbohydrate products, and pulp. Comprehensive analysis of the products
shows minor changes that can be explained by inherent differences
of the setup on larger scales (such as heating/cooling cycles, etc.). For example, a similarly high delignification (with
similar monoaromatic yield) was obtained for each variation regardless
of scale. In addition, a comparable pulp yield and similar soluble
carbohydrate products yields were obtained for each variation with
no influence of the scale. Repetitions at 100 mL and 2 L demonstrated
the reproducibility of all RCF variations. Overall, this study shows
the scalability potential of RCF biorefining, which seems ready for
pilot, demonstration, or commercial scale process integration and
development.
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