Application Potential of Membrane Processes in the Concept of Lignocellulose Biorefineries

Abstract

Die Zellstoff-und Papierindustrie ist einer der wichtigsten Industriesektoren weltweit und hat großes Potenzial, ein Eckpfeiler für die zukünftige Bioökonomie zu sein, insbesondere für Lignocellulose-Bioraffinerien. Das Potenzial von Membranverfahren bei dieser Umwandlung wird in drei Beispielen aus dem Bereich Kraft/Sulfat, Sulfit und thermomechanischem Aufschluss dargestellt. Darüber hinaus werden die Herausforderungen von Membranverschmutzung und -reinigung im Hinblick auf die Zellstoffindustrie erörtert und ein Ausblick auf zukünftige Entwicklungen von Membranen in Bioraffinerien gegeben.

Membrane Operations in the Pulp and Paper Industry for the Recovery of Constituents: A State of the Art Review

“…Lignin accounts for 20-35% of the plant biomass and represents the second most abundant biopolymer of land-based biomass [4], which renders lignin the most important biofuel worldwide. It is built up from monolignols, which are p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, and sinapyl alcohol [5].…”

“…It is built up from monolignols, which are p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, and sinapyl alcohol [5]. Annually, more than 5•10 7 tons of lignin are dissolved via chemical cooking [6], and around 85% thereof are disintegrated using the kraft process [4]. Lignosulfonates, on the other hand, are byproducts obtained from the production of wood pulp using sulfite pulping.…”

“…Lignosulfonates, on the other hand, are byproducts obtained from the production of wood pulp using sulfite pulping. Both lignin and lignosulfonates can be sold as emulsifiers, dispersants, or as precursors for the synthesis of electrochemically active substances [4,7,8], and lignin is normally used as biofuel in the recovery boiler onsite in PPI.…”

“…The advantages of membrane operations (MO), like low energy demand and their selectivity, are well described in the literature [1][2][3][4][5]. The application of MO in the pulp and paper industry (PPI) dates back to the 1970s [4,6,7].…”

“…The advantages of membrane operations (MO), like low energy demand and their selectivity, are well described in the literature [1][2][3][4][5]. The application of MO in the pulp and paper industry (PPI) dates back to the 1970s [4,6,7]. However, just few applications have been studied (figure 1) and even fewer implemented at industrial scale, mainly because membrane applications face some constraints, such as the high cost related to the industrial scale-up and membrane fouling [7].…”