Hardwood Lignin Recovery Using Generator Waste Acid. Statistical Analysis and Simulation

Systematic Review on Isolation Processes for Technical Lignin

Technologies for the isolation of lignin from pulping process streams are reviewed in this article. Based on published data, the WestVaco process, the LignoBoost process, the LigoForce SystemTM and the SLRP process are reviewed and discussed for the isolation of lignin from Kraft black liquor. The three new processes that have now joined the WestVaco process are compared from the perspective of product quality. Further, isolation processes of lignosulfonates from spent sulfite liquor are reviewed. The limitation for this review is that data are only available from lab scale and pilot scale experiments and not from industrial processes. Key output of this paper is a technology summary of the state of the art processes for technical lignins, showing the pros and cons of each process.

Penicillium sp. strain that efficiently adsorbs lignosulfonate in the presence of sulfate ion

Lignin is one of the major water insoluble substances that support the physical properties of plants and can be solubilized by sulfite or alkaline treatment in accordance with pulpification. The lignin derivatives produced by both the sulfite and the kraft processes are called lignosulfonate (LS) and kraft lignin (KL), respectively, and both derivatives show a broad spectrum of optical absorbance from ultraviolet to visible light. When the spore suspension of an isolated Penicillium sp., Penicillium sp. A, was inoculated to a medium containing 0.1% commercial LS, absorbance at 480 nm (A480) almost completely disappeared after 5 days of cultivation. Maximum decolorization of the culture broth was observed when the microbe was cultured in the 0.8% LS medium reaching 88%, and the amount of LS removed was calculated to be 7 g/L. In a similar assay with the dark-liquid containing KL, 80% of the A480 of a 20% (v/v) dark-liquid medium disappeared after 5 days of culturing and the amount of KL removed was calculated to be 2.9 g/L. These values significantly exceeded the previously reported amounts with respect to substrate concentration and decolorization. Furthermore, since similar results were obtained in the cases of both LS and KL, it is expected that the present strain is able to non-specifically adsorb a wide range of lignin derivatives, because most of the colored substances were recovered in the culture sediments. Thus, the strain can be used to clean up waste fluids containing water soluble lignin derivatives, adsorb lignin derivatives in waste fluids before dehydration.