Karla Dussan

TNO | tno · Biobased and Circular Technologies Group

A comprehensive study is presented on the conversion of hemicellulose sugars in liquors obtained from the fractionation of Miscanthus, spruce bark, sawdust, and hemp by using formic acid. Experimental tests with varying temperature (130–170 °C), formic acid concentration (10–80 wt %), carbohydrate concentrations, and lignin separation were carried...

The pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass produces a liquid stream of hemicellulose-based sugars, which can be further converted to high-value chemicals. Formosolv pulping and the Milox process use formic acid as the fractionating agent, which can be used as the catalyst for the valorisation of hemicellulose sugars to platform chemicals. The obj...

The present work evaluates a process for the production of renewable jet fuel hydrocarbons using biobased precursors derived from 2 nd generation biomass hemicellulose. A set of promising basic solid formed catalysts was benchmarked in lab-scale continuous fixed bed reactors to evaluate their catalytic performance in the cross-condensation of furfu...

This short review covers the last two years of research and development initiatives covering aspects of biomass supply (e.g. mechanized cultivation and stabilization for storage), seaweed inundations and utilization, and recent advances and studies on seaweed biorefinery concepts covering hydrolysis methods, conversion and processing methods, rangi...

Feedstock flexibility is highly advantageous for the viability of (solvent-based) biorefineries but comes with the considerable challenge of having to cope with the varying nature and typically high abundance of nonlignocellulose compounds in the most readily available residual biomass streams. Here, we demonstrate that mild aqueous acetone organos...

The aim of the project “More Fuels from Organic Residues” (MOTOR) is to produce advanced biofuels for the transport sectors where electrification or gaseous biofuels will not generate the reduction of their carbon footprint in the short term. In MOTOR, wet lignocellulosic waste streams that do not compete with the food/feed market are used as a fee...

Advanced biofuels are produced from renewable resources that comply with stringent sustainability criteria, and lower GHG emissions than fossil fuels. In the BECOOL/BioValue EU-Brazil cooperation project, novel value chains for advanced bioethanol are developed. Second generation (2G) bio-ethanol represents the most important advanced biofuel from...

This article assesses the impact of the energy recovery from the digestate on the economics of biomethane produced from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Six waste-to-energy routes are investigated and assumed to be deployed in the regional context of the Republic of Ireland. Anaerobic digestion without energy recovery, and landspreadi...

A detailed systematic theoretical study of the mechanism of the homogeneous Brønsted-acid catalysis of D-glucose in aqueous solution phase ("acid hydrolysis") is reported. G4MP2 with the SMD solvation model at...

Macroalgal biomass or seaweed is becoming rapidly a new renewable carbon source contributing to the biomass platform established by lignocellulosic biomass. Some advantages offered by marine biomass include the possibility of cultivation and harvesting off-shore, and its high biomass productivity. Unlike terrestrial biomass, seaweed does not compet...

The chemical functional group approach is investigated to verify the fundamental applicability of low-dimensional descriptors in the prediction of global combustion behavior, as described by homogeneous reflected shock ignition delay times. Three key chemical functional groups, CH2, CH3 and benzyl-type, are used to represent n-alkyl, iso-alkyl, and...

This study presents a novel approach for the chemical representation of lignin for modelling the reaction kinetics of lignin in lignocellulosic biomass. This methodology relies on the definition of dimeric pseudo-components containing phenolic functionalities, i.e., p-hydroxyphenyl, guaiacyl and syringyl groups, as measured in real biomass and nati...

This study presented a techno-economic evaluation of the thermal conversion of sludge and digestate integrated with anaerobic digestion (AD) as a means of waste volume reduction, carbon emissions mitigation and energy recovery in wastewater treatment plants. The study was supported by empirical data and thermodynamic modelling of processes involved...

This study describes a lumped kinetic modelling architecture with which to simulate and predict the pyrolysis reaction kinetics of hemicellulose biopolymers. A key feature of the model is the replication of essential compositional features of biomass hemicelluloses into the chemical reaction pathways of the model. More specifically, five new model...

Improved process development and design of technologies such as pyrolysis and gasification of lignocellulosic biomass can be aided greatly by advanced comprehension of their chemistry and thermal reactivity. Hemicellulose and lignin have significant chemical variations within plant species and after biomass treatment, which are outside of the capab...

Ireland produces 642,000 t of separated household organic waste or “food waste” annually. In 2016, only 420,000 t of biodegradable waste was permitted to landfill following the EU Directive 1999/31/EC. Growing population and restrictive directives are making landfills unfeasible. Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers an initial waste management measure o...

Improved process development and design of technologies such as pyrolysis and gasification of lignocellulosic biomass can be aided greatly by advanced comprehension of their chemistry and thermal reactivity. Hemicellulose and lignin have significant chemical variations within plant species and after biomass treatment, which are outside of the capab...

EPA Research 216 detailing Thermodynamic Modelling of Energy Recovery Options from Digestate at Wastewater Treatment Plants Identify Pressures It is vitally important to evaluate alternative means of sludge disposal in order to avoid pollution of agricultural land. Thermal conversion technologies can address the problem of surplus sludge while als...

Furfural is a potential platform chemical derived from biomass, which has gained increased attention as a potential substitute for the displacement of petrochemicals and the production of biofuels. The catalytic effect of different metal tri-chlorides (FeCl3, AlCl3 and CrCl3) with formic acid (FA) was investigated for the selective conversion of D-...

Sustainable feedstocks such as lignocellulosic biomass and agricultural wastes can be integrated into platform chemical production systems via pyrolysis and gasification. These processes face challenges related to the use of low-quality biomass, with low energy densities and different chemical reactivities when compared to conventional fuels. Sophi...

Wastewater treatment (WWT) plants consume up to 180 MJ and produce 10-85 kg dry sludge per person every year. This will continue to increase due to more rigorous effluent quality regulations and demands. Sludge management and disposal can increase energy requirements and the carbon footprint of the plant. Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers an alternat...

Innovative catalysts to convert biomass carbohydrates in high value products are of an immense interest for the chemical industry and biorefineries. In this study, modified tin oxide (SnO2) catalysts were synthesised and submitted to H2SO4 treatment (SO4−2/SnO2) and alumina doping (SO4−2/Al2O3-SnO2) using different calcination temperatures. The eff...

Sewage sludge is a by-product generated from municipal wastewater treatment (WWT) processes. This study examines the conversion of sludge via energy recovery from gasification/combustion for thermal treatment of dewatered sludge. The present analysis is based on a chemical equilibrium model of thermal conversion of previously-dewatered sludge with...

Wastewater treatment (WWT) plants belong to an ever-changing sector that consumes up to 180 MJ per person and produces over 27 Mt of sludge every year in Europe [1, 2]. This will continue to increase due to more rigorous demands on effluent quality and environmental regulations. Technologies for sludge treatment include thickening and dewatering, a...

Thermal conversion technologies, such as pyrolysis and gasification, are efficient processes that can integrate sustainable feedstocks such as biomass into renewable energy and platform chemical production systems, through other vectors such as bio-methane, liquid biofuels, fertilisers, and heat and power. These technologies can also use a wide ran...

Wastewater treatment (WWT) plants consume over 180 MJ per person every year. This will continue to increase due to more rigorous effluent quality regulations and demands. A WWT facility can produce between 10 and 30 dry t sewage sludge (SS) per 1000 p.e.-year. Sludge treatment and transportation to disposal sites increase WWT energy requirements by...

Sewage sludge is a by-product generated from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). This study examines the conversion of sludge via gasification/combustion for energy recovery for thermal treatment of dewatered sludge. The present analysis is based on a chemical equilibrium model of thermal conversion of dewatered sludge with moisture conte...

The promotion of the catalytic performance of formic acid with different metal trichlorides was investigated for the conversion of xylose to furfural. The effects of reaction parameters, time, acid concentration and temperature, were also explored. The results showed an evident improvement on furfural selectivity to all catalytic reaction with form...

There is a significant research effort worldwide to identify attractive chemical conversion routes for lignocellulosic biomass to organic (bulk-)chemicals. This study has focussed on the acid-catalysed hydrolysis of sugar cane bagasse for the production of levulinic acid (LA), a platform chemical used for the synthesis of a variety of materials for...

This study evaluates an integrated process for the production of platform chemicals and diesel miscible biofuels. An energy crop (Miscanthus) was treated hydrothermally to produce levulinic acid (LA). Temperatures ranging between 150 and 200°C, sulfuric acid concentrations 1-5wt.% and treatment times 1-12h were applied to give different combined se...

A novel approach to the performic acid pulping of biomass enables effective delignification and fractionation in a time frame not achieved heretofore. An autothermal decomposition reaction was triggered when 100 mg/L Fe2(SO4)3 in 4.0 M NaOH was added to 5% or 7.5% H2O2 in aqueous formic acid containing chipped Miscanthus x giganteus. Peroxy-decompo...