title: Liquefaction of bio-mass in hot-compressed water for the production of phenolic compounds.
abstract: Direct liquefaction of lignocellulosic wastes (sawdust and cornstalks) and two model bio-mass compounds (pure lignin and pure cellulose as references) has been conducted in hot-compressed water at temperatures from 250 to 350 degrees C in the presence of 2MPa H(2), for the production of phenolic compounds that may be suitable for the production of green phenol-formaldehyde resins. The liquefaction operations at 250 degrees C for 60 min produced the desirable product of phenolic/neutral oil at a yield of about 53, 32, 32 and 17 wt.% for lignin, sawdust, cornstalk and cellulose, respectively. The yield of phenolic/neutral oil for each feedstock was found to decrease with increasing temperature. As evidenced by GC-MS measurements, significant quantities of phenolic compounds such as 2-methoxy-phenol, 4-ethyl-2-methoxy-phenol, and 2,6-dimethoxy-phenol, were present in the resulting phenolic/neutral oils from the two lignocellulosic wastes and pure lignin. The relative concentration of phenolic compounds in the lignin-derived oil was as high as about 80%. As expected, the liquid products from cellulose contained essentially carboxylic acids and neutral compounds. Addition of Ba(OH)(2) and Rb(2)CO(3) catalysts were found to significantly increase both phenolic/neutral oil and gas yields for all feedstocks except for lignin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B 5E1.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tymchyshyn
authors.forename: Chunbao Charles
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002384:Catalysis / Q000187:drug effects; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism; D004602:Elements; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D003313:Zea mays / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004602:Elements; D010636:Phenols; D014867:Water; D002482:Cellulose; D008031:Lignin