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LIGNOL® PILOT FACILITY, UPPSALA SWEDEN
With the support of the Swedish Energy Agency and NextGenerationEU, RenFuel is progressing towards establishing a pilot facility for the Lignol® core process at RenFuel R&D Center in Uppsala, Sweden. This facility will enable us to fine-tune process conditions for various types of lignin and biomass as well as deliver concept studies for industrial production.
1. Lignin Pre-Treatment
RenFuel brings expertise in the chemistry and technology required to elevate different types and qualities of lignin to commercial quality levels. This technology is adaptable to each unique raw material.
2. Slurry Preparation
Purified RenFuel lignin is milled and dried, then mixed with a fatty acid source to create a lignin slurry, which is dried through evaporation. For some lignin qualities, it may be appropriate to skip the lignin drying step and instead perform stepwise evaporation of the lignin slurry. In business models and location strategies where processing occurs at different sites, there is also the option to transport the processed lignin or lignin slurry to another site for further processing.
3. Lignol® Reaction
The dry lignin slurry is fed into the Lignol® reactor, where the esterification reaction is initiated by adding a homogeneous catalyst and activator. The catalyst and activator are separated from the crude Lignol® and sent to chemical recovery for later reuse.
4. Post-Treatment
Lignol® is mixed with the desired carrier liquid from the refinery. Centrifugation is then used to separate and recirculate lignin that is not fully esterified. Semi-solids and organic fragments that could harm or block the refinery catalysts are removed through filtration to achieve commercial grade Lignol®. Lignol® can then replace fossil feedstocks in refinery processes, and its hydrocarbon products are fully miscible in the standard types of fossil fuel products.
Do you have a production side-stream or biomass containing lignin? We have the expertise to transform your lignin into a valuable and essential resource. If you want to evaluate your lignin and receive a process design tailored to your specific quality, there is an opportunity to participate in the commissioning phase of our pilot plant project.