From lignin to graphitized biocarbon: A sustainable approach for novel materials

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Kemian tekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
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Date

2023-10-10

Department

Major/Subject

Fiber and Polymer Engineering

Mcode

CHEM3024

Degree programme

Master's Programme in Chemical, Biochemical and Materials Engineering

Language

en

Pages

31 + 14

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Abstract

To achieve sustainable development, biomass refineries play a crucial role in producing value-added products. Lignocellulose, a mixture of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, holds great potential for the production of biofuels and biochemicals through feedstock biorefining. However, the current biorefining processes predominantly focus on utilizing cellulose and hemicellulose, often overlooking lignin. The global aim of this project is to valorize lignin by producing valuable products, and the proposed approach involves converting organosolv lignin into graphitized carbon. To achieve this objective, the metal-salt catalyzed graphitization method is employed, as it offers high efficiency with low energy consumption. Three different salts, namely iron(III) nitrate, iron(III) acetate, and iron(III) chloride, are used in different salt-to-lignin ratios of 1:0.5, 1:1, and 1:2, respectively. The samples are then graphitized following the optimal preparation procedure, and their effects are analyzed. Among the salts used, iron(III) acetate demonstrates superior results, followed by iron(III) nitrate, while iron(III) chloride does not show a significant graphitization effect. The focus on valorizing lignin through graphitized carbon production using different metal salts and ratios is a promising approach to tap into the unexploited potential of lignin in biomass refining and contribute to the sustainable production of valuable products.

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Supervisor

Hummel, Michael

Thesis advisor

Rusakov, Dmitrii

Keywords

lignin, porosity, metal-salt graphitization, carbon

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202310156353

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[dipl] Kemian tekniikan korkeakoulu / CHEM