Biography
Biography: Joseph S M Samec
Abstract
Lignin in black liquor from the kraft process was converted to standardized diesel in only three steps. In a first step, lignin was precipitated from the black liquor by carbon dioxide to generate a solidified Lignoboost® lignin. This lignin was then esterified by tall oil fatty acid to generate an esterfied lignin named Renol® which was solubilized in a light gas oil to form a homogeneous mixture. This mixture can be processed in a convential hydroprocessing unit to yield a green diesel with EN590 specifications. The process is somewhat tunable so that both gasoline and diesel fractions can be generated. This innovation could structurally convert current pulp mills to become modern biorefineries to produce both paper pulp and the esterified lignin that can be transformed by an oil refinery to produce green fuels. As lignin is considered a waste stream from the pulp mill this fuel would not increase land use or compete with food production. In addtition, since all infrastructure and logistics are available, implementation of this technology should be smooth. The implementation of this technology in a pulp mill will be discussed.