Investigating Lignin-Derived Monomers and Oligomers in Low-Molecular-Weight Fractions Separated from Depolymerized Black Liquor Retentate by Membrane Filtration |
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| Authors: | Kena Li Jens Prothmann Margareta Sandahl Sara Blomberg Charlotta Turner Christian Hulteberg |
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| Institution: | 1.Department of Chemical Engineering, Lund University, SE-21100 Lund, Sweden; (K.L.); (S.B.);2.Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden; (J.P.); (M.S.); (C.T.) |
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| Abstract: | Base-catalyzed depolymerization of black liquor retentate (BLR) from the kraft pulping process, followed by ultrafiltration, has been suggested as a means of obtaining low-molecular-weight (LMW) compounds. The chemical complexity of BLR, which consists of a mixture of softwood and hardwood lignin that has undergone several kinds of treatment, leads to a complex mixture of LMW compounds, making the separation of components for the formation of value-added chemicals more difficult. Identifying the phenolic compounds in the LMW fractions obtained under different depolymerization conditions is essential for the upgrading process. In this study, a state-of-the-art nontargeted analysis method using ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to high-resolution multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (UHPSFC/HRMSn) combined with a Kendrick mass defect-based classification model was applied to analyze the monomers and oligomers in the LMW fractions separated from BLR samples depolymerized at 170–210 °C. The most common phenolic compound types were dimers, followed by monomers. A second round of depolymerization yielded low amounts of monomers and dimers, while a high number of trimers were formed, thought to be the result of repolymerization. |
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| Keywords: | black liquor retentate depolymerization identification monomer oligomers |
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