The concept of the integrated biorefinery is critical to developing a robust biorefining industry in the United States. Within this model, the biorefinery will produce fuel as a high volume output addressing domestic energy needs, and biobased chemical products as a high value output providing necessary economic support for fuel production. This paper will overview recent developments within two aspects of integrated biorefinery development - the fractionation of biomass into individual process streams and the subsequent conversion of these process streams into chemical products. Solvent based separation of switchgrass, poplar and mixed feedstocks is being developed as a biorefinery �front end� and will be described as a function of fractionation conditions. Control over the properties and structure of the lignin component can be observed by adjusting the fractionation process, while 2D NMR analysis provides insight as to lignin's structural profile, useful for design of catalysts for its oxidative conversion. New second generation Co-Schiff base catalysts have been synthesized based on NMR evaluation and computational analysis that afford significantly higher yield and reactivity than simple, first generation systems based on Co(salen), and use only molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant. Application of these catalysts to the lignin isolated from solvent fractionation leads to low molecular weight aromatics and potentially, drop-in hydrocarbon fuels from the selective chemical and biochemical oxidation of lignin. Recent results, the impact of catalyst structure on lignin and lignin model oxidation, and potential new applications will be discussed.

Catalytic oxidation of organosolv lignin � structural and computational analysis for improved catalyst design

247th National Meeting (2014)

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