Conversion of birch bark to biofuels

Kumaniaev, Ivan; Navaré, Kranti; Mendes, Natália Crespo; Placet, Vincent; Acker, Karel Van; Samec, Joseph S. M.

doi:10.1039/d0gc00405g

Cited by 34 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…An integrated use of biomass components constitutes a great opportunity for biorefinery industries to increase their revenue and profit [2,3]. In this context, lignocellulosic biorefineries are supposed to produce biofuel and value-added chemicals, which can be used as alternatives of fossil-derived products [3][4][5][6]. One of the foremost target transformations of lignocellulosic biomass has been the conversion of residual sugars from carbohydrate biopolymers into their immediate dehydrated derivatives, notably furan compounds, such as 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF) and furfural [5,7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Pre-Extraction on Composition of Residual Liquor Obtained from Catalytic Organosolv Pulping of Sugar Maple Bark

Kasangana

Bhatta

Stevanović

2020

Sustainable Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: We have determined previously that the water extract of sugar maple bark contained an important quantity of a complex sugar. In this study, we investigated the organosolv pulping of pre-extracted bark to follow the acid conversion of sugars into major products, furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF), while comparing the structures of organosolv lignins. Methods: The bark particles were pre-extracted with an ethanol–water mixture or water only. The extractives-free barks were then converted into cellulosic pulp and lignin by a patented organosolv process. The composition of residual liquor was determined by using HPLC-UV. Results: The pre-extraction with water was more efficient for complex sugars recovery than with the ethanol–water system. HMF was determined to be more abundant in residual liquor than furfural after ethanol–water pre-extraction while their quantities were comparable in the residual liquor after water pre-extraction. The higher yield of HMF from ethanol–water pre-extracted bark (1.18%) than from water pre-extracted (0.69%) could be related to the efficiency of complex sugar removal during the pre-extraction step. Conclusions: The pre-extraction before pulping affected, at least in part, the composition of residual liquor in terms of HMF production. These results demonstrate how the bark can be converted into valuable products and intermediates for organic synthesis.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Pre-Extraction on Composition of Residual Liquor Obtained from Catalytic Organosolv Pulping of Sugar Maple Bark

Kasangana

Bhatta

Stevanović

2020

Sustainable Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Direct thermochemical depolymerization of suberin has been used to produce biofuels particularly in order to take advantage of its high energy content. Kumaniaev et al isolated and depolymerized suberin from birch bark in an optimized system and subsequently upgraded the oligomeric products by hydrotreatment to produce diesel and aviation fuel ranges [ 143 ]. Oil yield was 40 wt% of the original bark mass with average higher heating value of 46.5 MJ/kg and based on 2-D GC analysis the oil products consisted of approximately 24 wt% n-alkanes, 23% branched alkanes and 25% alkenes/cycloalkenes where benzenes and aromatics constituted the remaining fractions [ 143 ].…”

Section: State Of Science and Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kumaniaev et al isolated and depolymerized suberin from birch bark in an optimized system and subsequently upgraded the oligomeric products by hydrotreatment to produce diesel and aviation fuel ranges [ 143 ]. Oil yield was 40 wt% of the original bark mass with average higher heating value of 46.5 MJ/kg and based on 2-D GC analysis the oil products consisted of approximately 24 wt% n-alkanes, 23% branched alkanes and 25% alkenes/cycloalkenes where benzenes and aromatics constituted the remaining fractions [ 143 ]. Many thermochemical conversion methodologies of bark and high-suberin materials have mostly focused on the impacts of inorganics present in bark, [ 144 ] which does complicate a fundamental understanding of the contribution of suberin in the bark conversion, but further focus on the suberin impacts needs to be expanded.…”

Section: State Of Science and Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Incorporating suberin chemistry into genomics, biomass production and conversion platforms is desirable. Life cycle analyses (LCA) and techno-economic analyses (TEA) could be conducted to evaluate impacts of various suberin chemistry and associated plant performance scenarios on yield, titre, conversion approaches and other economic outcomes [ 143 ]. LCA and TEA using various scenarios of suberin incorporation can be useful in assessing outcomes on C budgeting (C capture vs release accounting) and the extended ecological and environmental impacts.…”

Section: Conclusion and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Importance of suberin biopolymer in plant function, contributions to soil organic carbon and in the production of bio-derived energy and materials

Harman‐Ware

Sparks

Addison

et al. 2021

Biotechnol Biofuels

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Suberin is a hydrophobic biopolymer of significance in the production of biomass-derived materials and in biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we describe suberin structure and biosynthesis, and its importance in biological (i.e., plant bark and roots), ecological (soil organic carbon) and economic (biomass conversion to bioproducts) contexts. Furthermore, we highlight the genomics and analytical approaches currently available and explore opportunities for future technologies to study suberin in quantitative and/or high-throughput platforms in bioenergy crops. A greater understanding of suberin structure and production in lignocellulosic biomass can be leveraged to improve representation in life cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis models and enable performance improvements in plant biosystems as well as informed crop system management to achieve economic and environmental co-benefits.

show abstract

“…[40], among others. Depolymerized suberin fragments constitute interesting building blocks for novel polyesters [41] or can be hydrodeoxygenated into biofuels [33,42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree bark characterization envisioning an integrated use in a biorefinery

Vangeel

Neiva

Quilhó

et al. 2021

Biomass Conv. Bioref.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tree barks are considerable waste streams in forest industries, and a potentially interesting resource for biorefineries. Barks of six relevant tree species, namely poplar (Populus × canadensis), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), red oak (Quercus rubra), willow (Salix sp.), Corsican pine (Pinus nigra subsp. laricio) and larch (Larix decidua) were anatomically and chemically characterized. Anatomical analysis illustrated the structural heterogeneity of the different barks with occurrence of various cell types and their arrangement in phloem, periderm and rhytidome. Summative chemical analysis showed a high extractives content (14-30 wt%) for all barks. Black locust bark presented a substantial suberin content (10 wt%). The lignin content was similar for most barks (22-29 wt%), except for Corsican pine bark (45 wt%). Analytical pyrolysis demonstrated that softwood bark lignin was mostly G type with a small amount of H units, whereas for hardwood species S, G and H units were present, with low S/G ratios (0.3-0.7). The cell wall structural polysaccharides were rather low. Total monosaccharides ranged from 35 to 44 wt%, with glucose being predominant for almost all barks, followed by xylose in hardwood and mannose in softwood barks. Identification of the lipophilic extractives highlighted the predominance of resin acids for softwood barks, and fatty acids and triterpenoids for all barks. Analysis of the polar bark extracts revealed large variations in the content of phenolics (265-579 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract), flavonoids (177-391 mg catechin equivalent/g extract) and condensed tannins (88-670 mg catechin equivalent/g extract). Furthermore, the polar extracts presented a high antioxidant potential (500-1209 mg trolox equivalent/g extract), as determined by the FRAP assay. Additionally, a very strong antioxidant activity (AAI > 2), as evaluated by the DPPH assay, was observed for all barks. In summary, the results highlight the marked anatomical and chemical interspecies variability in barks, thus suggesting the need for tailored biorefining approaches.

show abstract

Conversion of birch bark to biofuels

Abstract: Birch bark was converted to a hydrocarbon biofuel through solubilization and hydrotreatment. The procedure implements a recyclable, salt- and metal-free solvent system and has been evaluated by Life-Cycle Assessment.

Cited by 34 publications

References 27 publications

Effect of Pre-Extraction on Composition of Residual Liquor Obtained from Catalytic Organosolv Pulping of Sugar Maple Bark

Effect of Pre-Extraction on Composition of Residual Liquor Obtained from Catalytic Organosolv Pulping of Sugar Maple Bark

Importance of suberin biopolymer in plant function, contributions to soil organic carbon and in the production of bio-derived energy and materials

Tree bark characterization envisioning an integrated use in a biorefinery

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About