Global feedstock supply is under pressure due to shortness and geopolitical issues. The current transition of feedstock implies a change from fossil oil into other resources like gas, coal and biomass. Strategies to convert each of them into chemicals and materials, and the different challenges associated with that goal, are different for each alternative feedstock. Biomass, when sustainably harvested, is considered renewable and may have the benefit of a low carbon footprint. As long as the atom economy of the reactions to convert biomass into chemicals is high, use of such renewables is an elegant solution to replace the fossil resources.<br/>Aromatics are important chemicals in the chemical industry, and therefore a specific target to produce from biomass. There are several promising biorefinery technologies reported in literature, which give access to bio-bqed aromatics. This presentation will focus on the lignin-first approach recently introduced by a few research groups. In particular the lecture will cover a discussion on the role of catalysis in the lignin-first processing as well as on the possibilities of generating aromatic compounds from wood lignin. A handful of chemicals are considered as promising platfomrs from which new and drop-in chemicals can be produced using heterogeneous liquid and gas phase catalysis.<br/>

Role of catalysis in a lignin-first biorefinery

255th National Meeting (2018)

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