Catalytic systems turn biomass waste into renewable chemical stocks

Researchers at Umeo University in Sweden have collaborated with scientists from Finland, Vietnam, India and Italy to develop a catalyst system for converting lignin structures into highly valuable chemicals. This innovative technology provides a promising solution to subtract environmental and energy challenges.

As fossil fuels are depleted and the climate change challenges intensify, renewable and sustainable resources are emerging as key solutions. Among these, biofuels and commodity chemicals derived from biomass, particularly lignin, are attracting attention.

Lignin accounts for about 30% of the dried plant mass, and 550 million tonnes of tonnes are released per year, primarily as a by-product of the paper and pulp industry. Despite its abundant content, the complex structure of lignin makes it difficult to convert into valuable products and limits its potential as a sustainable resource.

To tackle this challenge, researchers at Umeo University in Sweden, together with scientists from Finland, Vietnam, India and Italy, designed a catalytic system that efficiently decomposes the structure of lignin. Their results are published in the doctoral dissertation of Van Minh Dinh, Ministry of Chemistry, Umeo University, Sweden.

“First, we use lignin model compounds to assess the performance of the catalytic system,” says Dinh. “They are small molecules that resemble the structure of lignin, making them an ideal model for our research,” he explains.

Under optimal conditions, the catalyst system selectively cleaves chemical bonds in the lignin model to produce a variety of value-added products, such as hydrocarbons for jet fuel additives and oxygenates for industrial chemicals.

“An exciting aspect of our research is the excellent reusability of Catalyst,” adds Dinh. “It remains structurally stable over a wide range of test conditions while maintaining high activity across multiple cycles.”

The researchers are currently focusing on scaling up the catalytic system using lignin samples from around Sweden. This study could help further innovation in biomass conversion strategies and contribute to replacing fossil fuels with renewable resources.