Browsing by Subject "Lignocellulose"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Depolymerization of lignin for biomass processing in ionic liquids(2012-12) Cox, Blair Jeffrey; Ekerdt, John G.; Eldridge, R. B.; Ellison, Christopher J.; Alper, Hal; Stevenson, Keith J.There is growing need for technologies to displace traditional petroleum resources. Towards this goal, lignocellulosic biomass is seen as a potential renewable resource for the production of fuels and commodity chemicals. One of the most difficult components of lignocellulose to process is lignin, which is a complex, amorphous aromatic polymer that acts as one of the structural components in plants. Ionic liquids are a class of compounds that are composed completely of anions and cations that, in some cases, can completely dissolve lignocellulosic biomass. The research performed for this dissertation aims to advance the technologies of lignocellulose processing through effective depolymerization of lignin in ionic liquids. Lignin fragments from this depolymerization could be used as a feedstock for further processing into aromatic commodity chemicals or polymers. Additionally, by removing lignin, biomass becomes much more accessible to enzymatic or chemical saccharification as a step towards fermentation into ethanol or other fuels. Both base and acid catalyzed methods were explored, although the base promoted depolymerization of lignin in ionic liquids did not show much promise, as the reaction was never shown to be catalytic. Acidic routes towards lignin depolymerization were more successful. Using the acidic ionic liquid 1-H-3-methylimiazolium chloride, the ether linkages in lignin model compounds could be hydrolyzed with high yields. This technology was also applicable to the whole lignin macromolecule. The mechanisms of this reaction, as well as the effects on lignin were explored with various neutral and acidic ionic liquids, using HPLC, GPC, NMR, FT-IR, and mass spectrometry for analysis of samples. To demonstrate the applications of this technique, pine wood was treated with the acidic ionic liquids to open the structure of the wood to enzymatic saccharification through the removal of lignin and hemicellulose.Item Development of Oxidative Lime Pretreatment and Shock Treatment to Produce Highly Digestible Lignocellulose for Biofuel and Ruminant Feed Applications(2011-10-21) Falls, Matthew DavidAt present, the United States generates biofuels (ethanol) from corn grain. Unfortunately, low crop yields and limited growth regions result in limited availability. Furthermore, the use of staple food crops for ethanol production has generated a highly controversial food vs. fuel debate. Because of its high abundance and relatively low cost, lignocellulosic biomass is a promising alternative feedstock for biofuel production; however, structural features of lignocellulose limit accessibility of enzymes or microorganisms. These structural barriers include high lignin content, acetyl groups on hemicellulose, high cellulose crystallinity, cellulose degree of polymerization, and small pore volume. To overcome these barriers, a variety of pretreatment processes (chemical and mechanical) have been developed. Oxidative-lime pretreatment (OLP) is highly effective at reducing lignin content and removing acetyl groups from hemicellulose. Combining OLP with a mechanical treatment process greatly enhances the enzymatic digestibility of lignocellulose. Recommended OLP conditions were determined for Dacotah (120 ?C, 6.89-bar O2, 240 min) and Alamo (110 ?C, 6-89-bar O2, 240 min) switchgrass. Using recommended conditions, 72-h glucan digestibilities (g glucan hydrolyzed/100 g glucan in raw biomass; 15 filter paper units/g raw glucan) of 85.2 and 88.5 were achieved for Dacotah and Alamo, respectively. Adding ball milling to OLP further enhanced glucan digestibility to 91.1 (Dacotah) and 90.0 (Alamo). In previous studies, shock treatment achieved promising results, but was often inconsistent. This work refined shock treatment with a focus on using consistent procedures and performance analysis. The combination of OLP and shock treatment enhanced the 72-h glucan digestibility of several promising biomass feedstocks: bagasse (74.0), corn stover (92.0), poplar wood (94.0), sorghum (71.8), and switchgrass (89.0). Highly digestible lignocellulose can also be used as ruminant animal feed. Shock treatment plus OLP increased the total digestible nutrients (TDNN; g nutrients digested/100 g organic matter) of corn stover from 51.9 (untreated) to 72.6. Adding in pre-washed corn stover solubles to produce a combined feed (17.8 percent corn stover solubles and 82.2 percent shock OLP corn stover) increased TDNN to 74.9. Mixing in enough solubilized protein to match the crude protein content of corn grain further improved TDNN to 75.5, only 12.6 less than corn grain.