Techno-economic analysis and supply chain design for a forest biorefinery to produce value-added bio-based products from lignin

By far, several commercial projects for production of lignin-based chemicals started operations around the world. For instance, the LignoBoost process was installed by Domtar in 2013 in the United States, and in 2015 by Stora Enso in Finland. Lather, in 2016, the LignoForce system came into operation at West Fraser in Canada. These commercial initiatives show that lignin has proven its potential as an alternative to petroleum, to reduce emissions and generate a new stream of revenue in the forestry sector. Lignin deems to be a suitable feedstock for energy generation or value-added bioproducts as substitutes to petroleum-based products. However, lignin’s characteristics (specifically large molecular weights and low reactivity) limit its direct use as chemicals to substitute petroleum-derived chemicals. More than 30 years of research towards lignin modification have shown that depolymerization is one of the promising routes to achieve its high-value applications in chemicals. A novel depolymerization process using low-pressure and low-temperature has been developed by Dr. Xu’s group – from the laboratory-scale production of depolymerized lignin (DL) to value-added applications of DL for bio-based materials (patent pending). In this process, kraft lignin (KL) is depolymerized using sodium hydroxide as catalyst and ethylene glycol as solvent. The depolymerized kraft lignin (DKL) products have suitable characteristics, such as high hydroxyl a moderately low weightaverage molecular weight, for synthesis of biopolymers. The DKL can substitute up to 75% phenol in the manufacture of phenol-formaldehyde resins (PF) and up to 50% in the formulation of polyurethane (PU) foams. The next logical step is to assess the feasibility of this technology. Therefore, the general purpose of this research is to develop a technoeconomic analysis and a supply chain (SC) design to identify the most promising technical and economic aspects of commercial production and long-term feasibility of bio-based value-added chemicals and materials from KL

Relation between energy efficiency and GHG emissions in drying units using forest biomass

ABSTRACT: The impacts of climate change are inevitable and driven by increased levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, requiring mitigation and re-adaptation measures. In this context, this article critically analyzes the influence of drying technology type, forest biomass, and GHG emissions resulting from the energy required for drying agricultural crops, by presenting a case study of tobacco drying. In this study, the influence of increasing the technological level of drying unit (curing units CUs), using E. saligna and E. dunnii firewood and Pinus sp. pellets, was evaluated; considering consumption efficiency, energy efficiency, and concentration of gas emissions (CO, CO2, CXHY and NOX), as well as emission factors in tCO₂-eq. The results showed that when increasing the technological level of the CUs, there is a decrease in fuel consumption and emissions. The reduction can reach 60.28% for the amount of biomass consumed and 67.06% in emissions in tCO₂-eq; for the scenario of a production crop, using a CU with a continuous load (Chongololo) and firewood from E. dunnii. The use of pellets proved to be efficient, with the lowest consumption of biomass and emissions with more technological CUs

Sustainable bio-based phenol-formaldehyde resoles using hydrolytically depolymerized kraft lignin

© 2017 by the authors. In this study bio-based bio-phenol-formaldehyde (BPF) resoles were prepared using hydrolytically depolymerized Kraft lignin (DKL) as bio-phenol to partially substitute phenol. The effects of phenol substitution ratio, weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of DKL and formaldehyde-to-phenol (F/P) ratio were also investigated to find the optimum curing temperature for BPF resoles. The results indicated that DKL with Mw ∼1200 g/mol provides a curing temperature of less than 180°C for any substitution level, provided that F/P ratios are controlled. Incorporation of lignin reduced the curing temperature of the resin, however, higher Mw DKL negatively affected the curing process. For any level of lignin Mw, the curing temperature was found to increase with lower F/P ratios at lower phenol substitution levels. At 25% and 50% phenol substitution, increasing the F/P ratio allows for synthesis of resoles with lower curing temperatures. Increasing the phenol substitution from 50% to 75% allows for a broader range of lignin Mw to attain low curing temperatures

CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO USO E COBERTURA DA TERRA A PARTIR DE IMAGENS RapidEye PARA O MUNICÍPIO DE SEGREDO - RS - BRASIL

Devido à importância das florestas nativas e da produção de alimentos surgiu a necessidade de desenvolver pesquisas alicerçadas em ferramentas de geoprocessamento e sensoriamento remoto com vistas no monitoramento do uso e cobertura do solo. Nesse contexto, o estudo objetivou o processamento digital de imagens e a determinação de classes de uso e cobertura da terra através da utilização de dados multiespectrais do sensor REIS (RapidEye Earth Imaging System) com alta resolução espacial, possibilitando assim a produção de um mapa temático de uso e cobertura do solo. Para tanto, foi utilizado o Software Spring versão 5.2 no qual foram realizados os processos: recorte dos limites do município, segmentação, definição de padrões de uso e cobertura da terra e classificação da área. Constatou-se que o município de Segredo possui uma área total de 285,18 km2. A classe mais representativa a Agricultura (110,23 km2), seguida da Floresta Nativa (98,29 km2), Campo (65,09 km2), Floresta Plantada (7,32 km2), Corpos d.água (3,51 km2) e em último a Área Urbana (0,74 km2). A produção de mapas através do processamento digital de imagens de alta resolução demonstra-se uma potencial ferramenta de monitoramento ambiental municipal, pois possibilita o entendimento da distribuição espacial do uso e cobertura dos município

Complementing firewood with alternative energy sources in Rio Pardo Watershed, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Wood is the primary energy source for grains and Tobacco drying in the Rio Pardo Watershed (RPW). The amount of firewood produced in the RPW is not enough to supply the demand. Recently, an automatized supply system was introduced in the region enabling the use of sawdust and pellets. In this context, this study aims to compare firewood, sawdust and pellets as energy sources for Tobacco curing in air-forced curing systems. Energetic density was used to estimate the biomass consumption in Tobacco curing. The consumption of biomass is lower for pellet, followed by firewood and sawdust. Pellets and sawdust could complement firewood in the region; however, research is necessary to ascertain the economic feasibility

Forest biomass supply chain optimization for a biorefinery aiming to produce high-value bio-based materials and chemicals from lignin and forestry residues: A review of literature

Technological development has enabled the production of new value-added products from lignocellulosic residues, such as lignin. This has allowed the forest industry to diversify its product portfolio and maximize the economic returns from feedstock, while simultaneously working towards sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based products. Although previous research has explored industrial-scale production opportunities, many challenges persist including the cost of woody biomass and its supply chain reliability. While numerous studies have addressed these issues, their emphasis has traditionally been on bioenergy, with little focus on biochemicals and biomaterials/bio-products. This review seeks to address this gap through a systematic study of the work recently reported by researchers. A lot of work has been published from United States and Canada with an emphasis on bioenergy production (84.8%), 4.6% of the work is focused on biomass-to-materials or chemicals, and 10.6% addressed both. Between 2012 and 2015, the majority of research is focusing on “biomass-to-materials and chemicals” and both “biomass-to-energy and biomass-to-materials and chemicals” were published. This fact highlights recent interests in diversified biorefinery portfolios. However, further work concerning the forest biomass supply chain optimization and new high-value bio-based materials and chemicals is necessary.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Características espectrais de folhas retiradas de cinco espécies vegetais na região do visível e do infravermelho próximo

The Remote Sensing has tools to assist the analysis of vegetation, because it interacts with electromagnetic energy thus enabling its spectral characterization. This study evaluates spectral differences of five different species through the mean values of leaf reflectance in the visible and near infrared, in order to know the change in reflectance between species: Camellia japonica L., Inga marginata Willd.; Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. ex DC.) Bauhinia forficata Link.; Bougainvillea glabra and infer the best interval to differentiate them. There were two separate spectral regions: the visible region (450 to 690 nm) and near infrared (760 to 900 nm). The data were analyzed visually and statistically on software R with the following tests: Test of variance, test for Normality of the observations, analysis of variance and Tukey test applied to the visible and near infrared. It can be concluded that for the species: Bougainvillea glabra and Inga marginata Willd.; Camellia japonica L. and Inga marginata Willd.; Bougainvillea glabra and Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. ex DC.) Camellia japonica L. and Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. ex DC.) Bougainvillea glabra and Bauhinia forficata Link.; Camellia japonica L. and Bauhinia forficata Link.; Bauhinia forficata Link. and Inga marginata Willd.; Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. ex DC.) Inga marginata Willd., respectively, the analysis in the near infrared region are more efficient, allowing a better contrast, already has a visible differentiation more effectively to the couples Bauhinia forficata Link. and Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. ex DC.) Bougainvillea glabra and Camellia japonica L.Pages: 8552-855

Spectral reflectance characterization in Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden

 O objetivo do trabalho foi comparar níveis de reflectância das folhas de Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden através de medidas espectrais a partir da localização das mesmas em relação à árvore e aos pontos cardeais. O experimento foi conduzido na área experimental pertencente à FEPAGRO, localizada no município de Santa Maria-RS. O trabalho compreendeu a instalação de delineamento blocos ao acaso. Com a utilização de um espectrorradiômetro FieldSpec®3, foram obtidas as medidas de radiância refletida da face superior das folhas e posteriormente trabalhados no software R. Na Banda 1 (400 a 700 nm), notou-se um pico que está relacionado ao total de clorofila na folha dentro da faixa do visível. Observou-se que folhas na posição leste foram as que apresentaram maior reflectância, e as folhas que estavam ao sul e ao oeste apresentaram as menores. Para a Banda 2 (700 a 1000 nm), observou-se diferença estatística significativa apenas entre os valores médios das reflectâncias no par de posições leste-oeste, contrastando com a Banda 1, que obteve diferença significativa entre as reflectâncias médias de todos os pares. A resposta espectral das folhas revelou-se estatisticamente diferente, confirmando, assim, que há diferença espectral relacionada à localização das árvores e posições de coletas das folhas.Palavras-chave: Espectrorradiometria; sensoriamento remoto; curva de reflectância. AbstractSpectral reflectance characterization in Eucalyptus grandis. The objective was to compare levels of reflectance of leaves of Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden using spectral measurements from their location in relation to the tree and the cardinal points. The experiment was carried out in the experimental area belonging to FEPAGRO, located in Santa Maria-RS. The work included the installation of a randomized block design. With the use of a spectroradiometer FieldSpec ® 3, it was measured the radiance reflected from the upper surface of leaves for further work with the software R. In the first band (400 to 700 nm), it was realized that a peak is related to total chlorophyll within the visible range. It was observed that the leaves heading east presented the highest reflectance and the leaves at south and west had the lowest one. For the second band (700 to 1000 nm), we observed a statistically significant difference only between the average values of reflectance in the pair of east-west positions, contrasting with the band that got a significant difference between the average reflectance of all pairs. The spectral response of leaves proved to be statistically different; it confirms that there are differences related to the spectral location of trees and locations of collected leaves.Keywords: Spectroradiometry; remote sensing; reflectance curve. The objective was to characterize the levels of reflectance in leaves of Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden using spectral measurements from the location of leaves over the tree and the cardinal points. Were collected 400 samples of leaves, picked in the lower portion of the tree following the cardinal points on the trunk in FEPAGRO. We analyzed Four treatments with five replicates in five trees depending on their location in plot (north, south, east, west and central). It was concluded that the band 400 to 700nm, there were significant differences between treatments represented in the analysis of variance. The greatest difference in reflectance occurred between West-South and the lowest difference occurred between North and South. To the second band (700 to 1000nm), the analysis was significant between the values average reflectance. Found a significant difference between the average values of reflectance in the East-West positions. In contrast with a band, the band achieved two significant differences between average reflectance of heading east to west. It was observed that the reflectance followed the same trend for different treatments. Significant differences were observed between treatments corroborating difference related to the location of trees and views collection of leaves in relation to the cardinal points

Estimativa de volume florestal com imagem landsat 5

The arboreal volume estimation studies can be made in faster and economic way by indirect methods, such as the techniques of remote sensing. In this context, this work objective to develop estimating models of arboreal volume for orbital images based on forest inventory data from Rio Grande do Sul state. In the Landsat 5 scene was converted the digital number to radiance and to reflectance, making possible associate a biophysics variable to a digital one. The sample units from the inventory went allocated on the image, whose areas had gotten the digital variable information used like independents on the statistical tests: B1 (0,45 - 0,52 μm), B2 (0,52 - 0,60 μm), B3 (0,63 - 0,69 μm), B4 (0,76 - 0,90 μm), NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and RAZÃO (Reason between bands). The dependent variable was the log volume (m³/ha). The stepwise variable selection method returned one linear model with the RAZÃO index as significant to explain the variation in volume. Finally, the selected model was implemented in the software SPRING, generating a numerical grid whose values of pixels represent the estimated volume in m³/ha and volume thematic maps for Eucalyptus sp. per production units.Pages: 1744-175