Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass with Green Chemistry Applications and Converting to High Value Added Products via Biochemical/Chemical Processes
Since the second half of the 20th century, using natural resources wisely and reducing waste materials, which become a part of every process and enterprise or using renawable and non renewable energy resources efficiently gained importance in the world.
In our country whose economy is also mainly dependent on agriculture, R&D studies for using forestry and agricultural wastes as energy and raw material resources has a great importance. In this context R&D studies have been carried out within our company since last 4 years.
With this project our aim is to produce gluconic acid, lactic acid and lignosulphonate in a plot scale whose use as a concrete additive raw material is tested successfully in laboratory scale with concept of proof studies in our first Technology and Innovation Funding Programs Directorate (TEYDEB) project which is an initiative of The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK).
Another subject which will be considered within the scope of our project is the fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass and obtaining cellulose in high yield and purity by developing processes with ionic liquids, which recently became one of the most popular research topics in the world as an environment friendly processes.
Figure 1. Schematic of the role of pretreatment in the conversion of biomass to fuel.
Also it is aimed to produce glucose syrup via enzymatic hydrolysis from cellulose which is obtained with the above mentioned processes and high value added products from this glucose syrup via fermentation. Also possible uses of lignin another fractionation product as a concentrete additive will be investigated.
In the world there is an increasing trend for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to high value added products as a result of scarce in fosil fuels. But in our country researches are not in the wanted level. Our company is working R&D in this subject last 4 years and one of our preliminary aim is producing chemical additives in industrial scale by carrying the processes we developed in lab scale in our previous R&D project to pilot scale. In this context R&D studies have been carried out within our company since last 4 years. In parallel to these studies environmental friendly gren chemical processes in which ionic liquids used for fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass will be developed.
Within the framework of production knowledge which will be obtained with this R&D studies, as a concrete additive producer company in Türkiye we aimed to obtain raw materials from local resources. With this project production of additives will be carried out in pilot scale and an important step will be done for use of results obtained successfully in our previous project. For the first time cellulose will be seperated from lignocellulosic biomass with environment friendly, energy and time saving ionic liquids which has a yield as high as 95 % and will be used for the production of gluconic acid and lactic acid.
With this project an important import will be generated by producing high value added products in a pilot scale. Producing high value added products from lignocellulosic biomass has a great socio-economic importance for our country. With this project in long term it will be possible to provide additional income and new job possibilities for farmers and forest villagers. Environmental problems caused by burning of agricultural waste materials that are left in the field after harvesting by the farmers to clean up the field will be prevented to some extent bu use of this waste.
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