Project description
Turning lignin waste into high-quality liquid fuels
The EU-funded EHLCATHOL project aims to transform waste from second-generation bioethanol production into high-performance fuel blends, for example, high-octane gasoline and diesel with a high cetane number. Research activities will focus on further improving the catalytic activity and stability of lignin solvolysis, reaction selectivity and biofuel combustion. The ultimate aim is to develop novel techniques to utilise the energy of the enzymatic hydrolysis lignin waste and transform this waste into high-quality liquid fuels that can find use in hybrid cars, heavy-duty transport vehicles, ships and jet aeroplanes. Project activities could lead to increasing the energy efficiency of the second-generation bioethanol production chain, contributing to the EU's target to be climate-neutral by 2050.
Objective
Our EHLCATHOL action aims to completely transform via direct catalytic solvolysis, viz. using a fuel compatible solvent as one of the reactant to fully depolymerize, of a large volume Enzymatic Hydrolysis Lignin (EHL) waste of the 2G bioethanol production from lignocellulose biomass, to produce high performance fuel blends, i.e. high heating value jet-fuel, high octane gasoline and high cetane number diesel. The EHLCATHOL research will focus on gaining the knowledge for improving greatly the catalytic activity and stability, mechanism of suppressing recondensation steps, solvation of login, selectivity to fuel molecules, product separation, fuel performance enhancement, combustion of the EHL biofuel, as well as reducing the environmental impact of the emission, all needed to develop the novel EHL catalytic solvolysis technology exploiting the energy, around 40% of the lignocellulose feed, stored in EHL with the highest efficiency.
Our consortium of Aalto, TUE, NTNU, LIKAT, EPFL, CNRS and VERTORO engages with the profound background in biofuel chemistry, catalysis, mechanism and kinetics, operando spectroscopy on organic reactions, fuel performance enhancement, combustion kinetics and modelling, reactor and process design, as well as distillation techniques. We will reveal and overcome the potential factors limiting the up-scaling of the processes, as well as exploit and test the new fuel products and determine their environmental impacts. Our target is to develop a novel technology that fully takes the advantage and utilizes the energy of the waste-EHL, transforms it to high quality liquid fuels applicable, e.g. in hybrid cars, heavy-duty transport vehicles, ships and jet airplanes, thus, doubling the energy efficiency of the 2G bioethanol production chain and contributing to achieve the targeted carbon neutral EU by 2050.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsliquid fuels
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryorganic reactions
- engineering and technologychemical engineeringseparation technologiesdistillation
- natural scienceschemical sciencescatalysis
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
02150 Espoo
Finland