Project Lignin Depolymerization for Fuels and Chemicals Production Program Engineering Term Academic Year 2025 Status Pending Research Area Energy and Environment Description Lignin has been recognized as a candidate to introduce into manufacturing to increase sustainability of fiberboard production. It is a renewably sourced polymer, and it can replace harmful chemicals currently being used in production. Sawdust and corn stover are two readily available biomass sources of lignin, that otherwise are labeled as waste. The research team has developed a process to extract and depolymerize the lignin from these biomass sources. This process includes different pre-treatment processes such as vapor explosion of the fibers, in addition to the native biomass. Lignin extraction is performed using a mixture of methanol, sulfuric acid and formaldehyde in a 600 mL reactor at low temperature and pressure. The depolymerization reaction is performed using methanol and nickel on activated carbon catalyst pellets in a 100 mL reactor using high temperature and pressure. Supervisor Enrico Martinez Sainz Mentor Type of work required Run experiments in the lab involving high pressure and temperature reactions with the waste biomass. Explore pretreatment methods and analyze the reaction products using gas and liquid chromatography. Apply a special ASPEN Tech software to run technoeconomic and life cycle analysis of a proposed Biorefinery with corn stover as feedstock. Websites https://fiberxproducts.com/fbx-lignin/ Qualifications GPA 3.0 minimum and experience in lab work from First Year Engineering Chemistry courses. Credit Hours 0 Weekly Hours 0 (estimated)