Future commercial viability of second generation biofuel and biochemical production depends on the efficient utilization of not only carbohydrates but also non-carbohydrate fractions. To enhance the valorization of biomass, we have developed a hybrid (i.e., thermo-catalytic and biological) conversion platform to generate value-added products from lignin.  This hybrid conversion platform consists of two sequential processes: a thermo-catalytic process that depolymerizes lignin into an aqueous-soluble lignin breakdown product and a biological process that converts and funnels compounds in the lignin breakdown product into a single bio-product, a triacylglycerol (TAG, a biodiesel precursor).  I will present the results of a study that elucidates the effect that catalyst and reaction conditions have on the catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignin and the effect that different lignin breakdown product compositions have on its biological conversion with a bacterium, <i>Rhodococcus opacus</i>. <br/>

Catalytic processing for the hybrid conversion of lignin into biodiesel

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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