<br/>Many chemical building blocks can be produced from biomass, nowadays mainly from 1stgeneration based carbohydrates [1] but in the longer term brand-owners want to have the option to choose between 1st and 2nd generation feedstocks. The use of non-edible lignocellulosic feedstocks is an equally attractive source to produce chemical intermediates and an important part of the solution addressing these global issues (Paris targets). Avantium’s strategic objective is to deliver with it’s 2nd generation Zambezi technologythe best in class 2G “pure” glucose technology for (bio-)chemical & bioenergy applications for a sustainable future; in parallel delivering value generation from the implementation of this technology. With the production of 2nd generation glucose also a large amounts of a novel class of lignin will be available and all products streams should be marketed at their highest value [2].<br/>In this presentation particular attention will be given to the Zambezi technology for the production“pure” 2nd generation glucose, a mixed sugars stream and a pure lignin stream that are produced during this process. The Zambezi process is based on the concentrated HCl Bergius process and the lignins produced are of the concentrated acid(Willstätter) type. Valorization of these lignins is not trivial as most available research on lignin conversion is performed on lignins originating fromalkali or organosolv processes [3]. Key physical and chemical properties of Zambezi lignin will be discussed, and the implications of these characteristics for the definition of the best economically viable processing and valorization routes will be given. <br/>Avantium has achieved a range of technological improvements on the concentrated mineral acid based process to make the process techno-economic competitive. A consortium consisting of AkzoNobel, RWE, Chemport Europe and Staatsbosbeheer has been established to bring this technology to commercial scale. As a first step a demonstration plant is being built in Delfzijl, the Netherlands to be operational mid-2018. The subsequent Flagship plant producing around 50.000 ton lignin/annum will be operational at the beginning of next decade underlining the importance to develop now tailor-made applications for this novel and interesting class of lignin.

Zambezi biorefinery: A novel lignin source with unique properties

255th National Meeting (2018)

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