Pyrolysis liquids from lignocellulosic biomass have the potential to be used as a feed for aromatics such as benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX) using catalytic upgrading with zeolites. We here report an experimental study on the conversion of various pyrolysis oil fractions to determine the most suitable one for BTX synthesis. For this purpose, the pyrolysis liquid was fractionated using several extraction/distillation steps to give four fractions with different chemical compositions. The fractions were analyzed in detail using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, elemental analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Karl-Fischer titration, and gel permeation chromatography. Catalytic pyrolysis experiments were carried out using a tandem microreactor with H-ZSM-5 (23) as the catalyst. The highest BTX yield of 24% (on a carbon and dry basis) was obtained using the fractions enriched in phenolics, whereas all others gave far lower yields (4.4-9%, on a carbon and dry basis). Correlations were established between the chemical composition of the feed fraction and the BTX yield. These findings support the concept of a pyrolysis biorefinery, where the pyrolysis liquid is separated into well-defined fractions before further dedicated catalytic conversions to biobased chemicals and biofuels using tailored catalysts.
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Oil extraction from Andean lupin beans (Lupinus mutabilis SWEET) via supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) was studied on both lab scale and pilot scale. On the lab scale, the effect of pressure, solvent-to-feed ratio (S/F), sample particle size and temperature on oil yield were evaluated. The oil quality (fatty acid [FA] composition and tocopherol content) were investigated. Five-hour scCO2 extraction yielded about 86% oil of Soxhlet extraction (using hexane as solvent). The fraction of unsaturated FA rose with extraction pressure at specific time. High tocopherol contents were detected in oils extracted at low pressure. An increase in temperature was unfavorable to oil and tocopherol yield, thereby confirming the validity for preserving oil extract quality under a mild scCO2 extraction condition. Oil quality and yield did not have identical optimum settings, opening up possibilities for producing different qualities of oils. Pilot-scale extraction offered comparable oil yield to lab-scale extraction at similar S/F ratio. Economic evaluation showed that it is promising to implement industrial scale scCO2 process for lupin oil extraction. It was predicted that, at a specific industrial scale of extraction (2 × 1000 L, 550 bar, 40°C and S/F of 24), the manufacturing cost of oils got close to actual commercial production cost.
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Schepen in moeilijkheden op zee leveren vaak besluitvormingsproblemen op tussen de scheepseigenaar/kapitein en de kuststaat. Kuststaten en met name de lokale overheden willen een probleem schip graag zo ver mogelijk weg sturen van hun gebied terwijl de eigenaar/kapitein zijn schip graag zo snel mogelijk naar de kust, een beschutte locatie of haven wil brengen. Het onderzoek geeft onderbouwing voor de besluitvorming rond schepen in moeilijkheden, zowel voor de zeescheepvaart als de betrokken besluitvormers van oeverstaten. Het product van het project is: een, op uitgewerkte scenario’s per scheepstype en lading gebaseerde besluitvormingsprocedure voor zeeschepen in moeilijkheden
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Introduction The research group Biobased Resources & Energy (BRE) of Avans focusses on recovery of valuable building blocks from low-value solid and liquid residual streams from agriculture, households and industries. For the valorisation of these residual streams, BRE looks into different biological, chemical and mechanical processes. One of the main issues in the utilisation of residual streams is economic feasibility and the recovery of multiple resources from one residual stream. Using membrane technologies in combination with biological, chemical and/or mechanical processes could offer great opportunities. Central Research Question What is the applicability of membrane technologies for valorisation of different residual streams and is it possible to integrate membrane technology in current and new biorefining projects of research group BRE: Set-up In order to reach the goal of this postdoc, 4 research questions will be answered using literature search, experimentation and modelling: 1) What membrane methods are currently (commercially) available to enhance the results of current projects in research group BRE? 2) What are the essential technical parameters for membrane separation and how can these be optimized? 3) What is the economic impact of using membrane technology in recovery of valuable building blocks from residual streams? 4) What are the effects of using membranes instead of or complementary to currently used methods on the sustainability of valorisation of residual streams? Cooperation The postdoc and the research group BRE want to extend the contact and research cooperation with (regional) businesses and (applied) universities and support and facilitate the introduction and further development of membrane technologies in the curriculum of different Avans study programmes. This will be done via internships, minor projects (together with businesses) and development of study material for courses and trainings.
Nearly all waterborne products, such as food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, paints, biological (medical) samples, cosmetics and wood require preservation to prevent decomposition of the product due to microbial growth. Most non-food preservatives such as isothiazolinones, bronopol, and pyrithiones, are derived from oil and are increasingly more strictly regulated due to hazards such as ecotoxicity, sensibilization and development of allergies. The low legally permitted concentrations will not only become too low to realize preservation, they will also induce antimicrobial resistance. A chemical transition towards new, innovative, biobased, and eco-friendly preservatives is therefore required. Wydo NBD is dedicated to research towards sustainable ingredients for waterborne paints. For this, together with the Hanze University, non-hazardous, eco-friendly and biobased natural preservatives will be identified and further developed towards marketable products. The knowledge obtained in this project will contribute to the development of biological (paint) conservatives knowledge and improvement of current production methods of Wydo, with the potential for wider application in food and medical products. This project aims to identify natural antimicrobial additives and consists of three consecutive stages. First, an extensive, unbiased bioinformatics guided literature mining will be performed to find relationships between biological antimicrobial compounds and microbes found in paint. The most promising antimicrobials from this mining will be made available by chemical synthesis. Subsequently, the compounds will be assessed for their potential as novel natural preservatives for waterborne paints, by testing for their antimicrobial activity and stability.
Nearly all waterborne products, such as food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, paints, biological (medical) samples, cosmetics and wood require preservation to prevent decomposition of the product due to microbial growth. Most non-food preservatives such as isothiazolinones, bronopol, and pyrithiones, are derived from oil and are increasingly more strictly regulated due to hazards such as ecotoxicity, sensibilization and development of allergies. The low legally permitted concentrations will not only become too low to realize preservation, they will also induce antimicrobial resistance. A chemical transition towards new, innovative, biobased, and eco-friendly preservatives is therefore required. Wydo NBD is dedicated to research towards sustainable ingredients for waterborne paints. For this, together with the Hanze University, non-hazardous, eco-friendly and biobased natural preservatives will be identified and further developed towards marketable products. The knowledge obtained in this project will contribute to the development of biological (paint) conservatives knowledge and improvement of current production methods of Wydo, with the potential for wider application in food and medical products.This project aims to identify natural antimicrobial additives and consists of three consecutive stages. First, an extensive, unbiased bioinformatics guided literature mining will be performed to find relationships between biological antimicrobial compounds and microbes found in paint. The most promising antimicrobials from this mining will be made available by chemical synthesis. Subsequently, the compounds will be assessed for their potential as novel natural preservatives for waterborne paints, by testing for their antimicrobial activity and stability
