Valorization of low-value lignocellulosic side-streams

The development of novel pathways for valorizing low-value streams from pulp, forest, and agricultural industries is crucial for realizing a circular bioeconomy and addressing the needs of both platform chemicals and fuels. Utilizing hemicellulose and lignin as biomass-derived feedstocks facilitates the production of sustainable liquid hydrocarbons, with catalytic hydrodeoxygenation being a key process. In the utilization of hemicellulose for the synthesis of liquid hydrocarbons, the approach involves recovering hemicellulosic sugars from wood and transforming them into furfural, which undergoes catalytic hydrodeoxygenation using a noble metal/zeolite tandem catalyst. This results in the production of pentane as the primary product. The process also generates C7–C10 hydrocarbons through bimolecular condensation of oxygenated intermediates alongside the formation of aromatic structures. Another approach involves a three-step transformation of furfural, including furanic ring rearrangement and [2+2] cycloaddition, which produces a C10 oxygenated precursor with a 4-membered ring. Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of this precursor results in the formation of cyclobutane-containing hydrocarbons for sustainable aviation fuel applications. In the utilization of lignin for the synthesis of liquid hydrocarbons, the approach involves lignin isolation from biomass and its direct catalytic hydrodeoxygenation into valuable platform chemicals and fuels. Guaiacol serves as a lignin model compound, facilitating optimization of the hydrotreatment process and giving insights into the distribution of the products. The hydrodeoxygenation of two different lignins, isolated from biomass by organosolv and soda pulping, yields bio-oils rich in hydrocarbons and suitable for transportation fuel applications.