Biobased chemicals from a reed based biorefinery
| PhD ceremony: | Ms Y. (Mrs) Li |
| When: | September 30, 2025 |
| Start: | 16:15 |
| Supervisors: | prof. dr. G.J.W. (Gert-Jan) Euverink, prof. dr. ir. H.J. (Hero Jan) Heeres |
| Where: | Academy building RUG / Student Information & Administration |
| Faculty: | Science and Engineering |
In her thesis, Yanfei Li describes a green and integrated biorefinery approach for the efficient processing of cane (Phragmites australis) using formic acid. She developed a rapid flow-through-fractionation (RFF) method with aqueous formic acid to effectively separate cane into cellulose pulp, hemicellulose-derived sugars, and high-purity lignin.
The cellulose pulp showed a glucose conversion efficiency of 75.9 wt% in enzymatic hydrolysis. The sugar-rich hemicellulose hydrolysate was directly converted into high-yield furfural (up to 93.5%) in biphasic and intensified systems, using the catalytic action of ions naturally present in the process.
Lignin was broken down into phenolic monomers via reductive catalytic processes, using both hydrogen gas and formic acid as a hydrogen source. Both hydrogen sources gave similar yields, which highlighted the usefulness of formic acid as a safer alternative to hydrogen. In addition, Li discusses the role of formic acid as a green catalyst and evaluates the potential for a carbon-neutral biorefinery system. All in all, this research makes a good contribution to the sustainable and efficient valorisation of underused biomass.