LIQUEFIED BIOMASS AND M I C R O E N C A P S U L AT I O N
Centre of Excellence for Polymer Materials and Technologies is a private research centre bringing together the critical mass of Slovene research and industry in the field of polymer science with 84 researchers and research infrastructure. We ensure scientific excellence and technological breakthroughs for industrial partners through interdisciplinary research in priority development areas in polymer materials and technologies. We develop innovative and commercially successful products for the sustainable development and low-carbon society of the future. An important segment of our research is being devoted to converting liquefied biomass into solutions for industrial and commercially viable products as well as to developing advanced microencapsulated applications.
Liquefied biomass Providing solutions by transforming biomass waste materials into valuable chemicals Agricultural crop residues, such as straw, corn and soybean stover, sugar cane and wood wastes such as leftovers from timber cutting, broken furniture, sawdust, residues from paper mills contain appreciable quantities of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin and thus all present a suitable source of biomass for the liquefaction process.
Solutions: • polyurethane foams, • insulation panels, • adhesives, • energy.
Benefits: • utilization of biomass waste (agricultural crop, wood waste, broken furniture, paper), • utilization of renewable resources, • lower formaldehyde levels, • improved mechanical and physical properties, • biodegradability, • green energy.
Technology of biomass liquefaction The liquefaction is carried out in a pilot plant reactor, at temperatures between 160 and 180 0C. A typical reaction mixture includes glycols such as glycerol, a small amount of acid for example sulphuric acid or paratoluene sulfonic acid and of course, milled wood wastes. The product is a brown liquid. The biomass content is at least 33% and has the potential to be much higher. If we use the glycerol from the biodiesel production, the total content of the renewable resources in the liquefied biomass would be as high as 95%. One of our technological inventions is the use of the ultrasound during the liquefaction of biomass. The ultrasound is introduced directly into the reactor and
the result is the astonishing reduction of the reaction time by 50% and reduction of the energy consumption by 30%. Even the most difficult materials such as broken furniture were succesfully liquefied in a very short time.
Industrial applications Synthesis of polyesters with liquified biomass waste incorporated into the polymeric molecule is a new innovative approach to utilization of renewable resources. Such polyesters are the main material for the production of the rigid polyurethane foams that are used in everyday life in many different areas, in particular for insulation purposes. We are able to prepare foams that are similar to the commercial ones with the same thermoconductivity and mechanical properties. But the main benefit is that such foam includes at least 10% of the biobased material and has therefore a higher level of biodegradability than the standard one. A mixture of liquefied biomass with melamine-formaldehyde or melamineurea-formaldehyde at
elevated
resin
can
temperatures
react
forming
a solid crosslinked product that is suitable for the use in wood furniture industry. Such an adhesive has lower
formaldehyde content than the standard melamine-formaldehyde or melamineurea formaldehyde adhesives while enabling the same or improved mechanical and physical properties of the end products. By measuring the mechanical properties of selected particle boards and by measuring the formaldehyde release, it was found that a 30% addition of the liquefied biomass met the European standard quality demands for particleboards. Lower formaldehyde emissions from particle boards due to the use of the liquefied biomass are extremely important in the provision of better quality of life. Adhesives were already applied and tested in particleboard production and preparation of different composite materials based on natural fibers. The industrial areas span from wood furniture industry to automotive industry where insulation panels made from natural resources are used.
Energy The most recent research and development is being performed on utilization of the liquefied biomass as a new energy source with high heating value. The majority of liquefied products have a heating value higher than 22 KJ/kg, that is in the range of pure ethanol and higher than brown coal. Initial tests have indicated that these products could also be used as a motor fuel. Since the production of such liquid fuel utilizes a huge variety of biomass wastes and takes place under very mild reaction conditions, an overall energy output is high. Several possible applications in energy production were identified and explored.
Preliminary test were carried out in a prototype gas turbine, where efficiency, power output, exhaust emissions as well as wear and durability of components were examined. These results were compared to the results obtained during the tests with Diesel fuel. It was found that the combustion efficiency of such fuel is comparable to the combustion efficiency of Diesel fuel although it has much higher content of cyclic hydrocarbons. It was proven that utilization of lignocellulosic liquid fuel in the prototype gas turbine complies with current emission regulations in EU for electric power generation. Overall energy conversion efficiency can be further increased by utilizing co- or trigeneration power plants. The key achievement arises from the fact that the fuel is produced from mainly unused renewable source and from the fact that its use has very low carbon footprint.
Microencapsulation Advanced solutions for agriculture: coated fertilizers and microencapsulated pesticides and repellents Most commercial fertilizers are water-soluble and dissolve rapidly in the moisture in the soil. Such fertilizers dissolve at a rate that exceeds the rate at which it can be used by plants. Therefore excess fertilizers leach into the groundwater and gases are released into the atmosphere. In order to avoid these problems, slow and controlled release coated fertilizers are used. These fertilizers are applied only at the beginning of the growing season and provide an initial high release of fertilizer followed by a slower, gradual release throughout the growing season. A major drawback of coated fertilizers is that high temperatures and organic solvents are required, which are not easily removed from fertilizer. Most of membranes are also not degradable and stay in the environment for a long time after nutrient release.
So far coated fertilizers based on polyacrylate containing starch have been developed in order to increase the degradability rate of the membrane after nutrient release. In addition, no organic solvents were used during production. The release time of nutrients can vary from three months to one year and can be controlled by the thickness of the membrane and other hydrophobic additives. Coated fertilizer production has already been scaled up. Current research and development aim at substituting starch with liquefied biomass. Initial experiments proved to be promising, with further modifications underway. Additional advantages of our coated fertilizer: • improved biodegradability of the membrane after release, • less coating material and thus higher content of nutrients, • increased membrane flexibility, • better mechanical properties of the membrane at higher temperatures. Eco-friendly fertilizers won the national Technovation 2012 award for the best innovation on sustainable technologies. Technology for encapsulating different pesticides and repellents over a longer period of time was also developed. This way it is possible to reduce evaporative losses, decrease phytotoxicity, protect pesticides and repellents from environmental degradation, reduce leaching and diminish pes-ticide levels in the environment.
Collaboration opportunities for industrial partners: • collaborative research & development projects on liquefaction process and application development, • technology transfer to industry – licensing and partnering opportunities, • assistance with scale up and manufacturing processes.
Looking for industrial partners in the sectors of:
CONTACTs
• agriculture,
Technology transfer: Dr. Tanja Rajkovič tanja.rajkovic@ polimat.si Tel.: + 386 40 264 286
• green energy, • forestry, • wood processing, • construction, • automotive industry.
Collaboration opportunities for research institutions:
Senior researcher: Prof. dr. Matjaž Kunaver matjaz.kunaver @ polimat.si Tel.: + 386 1 476 03 63
• further research and development for select solutions
CE PoliMaT has patent pending invention, title: Method
and applications,
Solid Materials, European Patent Office patent application,
• student mobility programs, • collaborative projects.
of Producing Fuel by Liquefaction of Cellulose-Containing no. 11003655.5, filed on 4th of May 2011, International patent application under the PCT, no: PCT/EPO2012/1929, filed on: 4th of May 2012.
Tehnološki park 24, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Phone: +386 (0)59 081 274, Fax: +386 (0)59 081 279 E: info @ polimat.si, I: http://www.polimat.si
The operation of PoliMaT is partly financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund - budget heading 6944 Competitiveness of Enterprises and Research Excellence - ESRR-07-13-EU, accounts 4120 and 4310. 15% of the share of eligible assets represent earmarked funds from the budget of the Republic of Slovenia - budget heading 9406 Competitiveness of Enterprises and Research Excellence - ESRR-07-13-Slovenian participation, accounts 4120 and 4310, NRP-No 3211-09-0012.