Fractionation and depolymerisation of lignocellulosic material

Biomass is processed in a close to equivolumetric mixture of an alcohol and water at elevated temperature, in the presence of a metal catalyst and hydrogen. During this one-pot fractionation process, the hot liquor disentangles the polymeric biomass and depolymerises lignin and hemicellulose, while the catalyst and reductive environment are essential to accumulate and target stable products at high yield (such as phenolics and polyols, respectively). The process is particularly industrially relevant because its overcomes difficult and complex separation protocols, at place in classic biorefinery technology; the process foresees simple product recuperation in one process step into the three fractions; the solid carbohydrate pulp (mainly cellulose) is retrieved upon filtration, while phase separation of n-butanol and water occurs below 125° C. The three resulting product streams provide a versatile platform for down-stream conversion towards added-value bio-based chemicals.