A combination of hydrothermal pretreatment and alkali fractionation of cereal straws for fractional utilization of lignocellulose for production of biomaterials in China industry will be reported. During the hydrothermal pretreatment, only the polymeric hemicelluloses were degraded into oligosaccharides and monomers, which were subsequently converted into furfural or xylitol for the food ingredient and pharmaceutical sectors. Three commercial products from the degraded hemicelluloses have been produced on a large industrial scale in China today. Residual lignin was removed by post-treating with aqueous 1-2% NaOH under a mild condition. The recovered lignin, which is a significant source of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions if burned, has a high purity, and was activated under alkaline conditions and used to produce lignin-phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) adhesives for partially replacing the expensive phenols (50%) in the commercial production of biocomposite boards for construction. Finally, the cellulose-rich fraction, which has a large surface area and total pore volume, is enzymatically hydrolyzed and then fermented into bioethanol with a high yield (3 tonnes of the cellulose-rich fraction can produce one ton of bioethanol). The value-added biomaterials from hemicelluloses- and lignin-derived products have greatly improved the economy of both lignocellulose conversion and bioethanol production in industries. <br/>

Industrial biorefinery of lignocellulose for production of biomaterials in China

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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