HemiCoat - Conversion of hemicellulose to coatings

The main focus of this project is the valorization of hemicelluloses by-product from paper pulp manufacturing but also from other agricultural lignocellulosic biomass to obtain high value-added chemicals toward sustainable coatings, adhesives, and functionalized additives The two main objectives of the project are (i) to recover most of the hemicellulose oligomers from lignocellulose biomass processing and (ii) to use monomeric sugars and other residual compounds in fermentative conversion to produce itaconic acid as a building block for chemical synthesis of surfactants. Itaconic acid is considered one of the major top value-added chemicals from biomass. Indeed, its anhydride form could be of high valorization potential as a bio-based alternative to commonly used maleic anhydride. The main reactivity assets of itaconic acid are its bi-functionality and unsaturation, which open a very wide field for polymerization and functionalization. To achieve these goals, a cascade of separation and purification methods consisting e.g. of membrane filtration, adsorption and evaporation will be developed to remove inhibitors and separate fermentable monomers from valuable oligomers. The hemicellulose and xylose fractions will be provided by companies which already process residual lignocellulosic biomass through suitable pulping or pretreatment. Samples of hemicellulose oligomers will be used for application tests as a replacement for starch in paper production and other adhesives applications. Regarding the fraction containing the monomeric sugars, a fermentation process will be implemented to produce itaconic acid. Fermentation using Aspergillus itaconicus will be investigated from laboratory to pilot scale. After production by fermentation, a downstream treatment will be carried out to recover itaconic acid. This will be followed by a purification process to isolate itaconic acid that will be used in various bio-based building blocks.