Monday, April 19, 2010
12-09

Lignin recovery in aqueous ammonia pre-treatment of switchgrass

Steven R. Sherman, Alternative Energy/Energy Security and Engineering, Savannah River National Laboratory, 773-42A, Room 134, Aiken, SC 29808 and Maximilian Gorensek, Process Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Savannah River National Laboratory, 773-42A, Room 136, Aiken, SC 29808.

Switchgrass is undergoing intense study as a fuel source for the manufacture of ethanol and other bio-derived fuels because of its hardiness, rapid growth rate, and its ability to grow in land areas that are marginal or unsuitable for the growth of food crops.  If the fuels derived from switchgrass are produced by hydrolysis and fermentation of C5/C6 sugars, then a pre-treatment step is needed to separate lignin from the cellulose matrix in order to enable enzymatic or chemical digestion of the cellulose, and a lignin side stream is produced as a result.  Though recovered lignin may be burned in the production plant to make steam, it is potentially more valuable in its pure form as a polymer additive or as a raw material for making higher-value chemicals such as jet fuel. This paper describes a process developed for the recovery of purified lignin from switchgrass that may accompany an aqueous ammonia pre-treatment step.  

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