Developing an innovative technology for producing levoglucosenone from lignocellulose

Project summary

The purpose of the project  is to obtain new knowledge, which would broaden the use of a local renewable resource – wood – for the production of products with high added value to replace current fossil-based chemicals, accomplished by an industrial research to develop a catalytic production of levoglucosenone, by impregnating the lignocellulose matrix with mineral acids and by using solid heterogeneous catalysts with a successive fast pyrolysis. In order to accomplish the goals, the following activities will be implemented within the project: investigation of the impact of pretreatment; testing solid phase catalysts; studying and comparing the results obtained on laboratory ablative and screw reactors for optimizing the pyrolysis conditions; elaborating the possibility of by-products – sugars and anhydrosugars conversion to levoglucosenone; investigating conversion of the carbonaceous residue into high quality activated carbon. The expected results: developing a new technology, submitting 4 SCI publications, 4 abstracts in conference proceedings and 1 patent.

Keywords: lignocellulose, levoglucosenone, fast pyrolysis

The performer of the project not related economic activity is the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry.

The duration of the project: 36 months.

Financing 583 649.22 EUR.

Call, activity: Operational programme "Growth and employment", 1.1.1. specific support objective “Increase of Latvian research institutions’ research and innovative capacity and the ability to attract external funding, investing in human resources and infrastructure”, 1.1.1.1. measure “Practical studies”

Project implementation