Chemical Valorization of Wood for Bio-fuels and Bio-chemicals

The conversion of wood into bio-fuels and bio-chemicals is technically feasible. Wood valorization processes include fractionation, pyrolysis, hydrolysis, fermentation, and gasification. Fast pyrolysis utilizes wood biomass to produce a product that is used both as an energy source and a feedstock for chemical production. The bio-oils from wood pyrolysis were composed of a range of cyclopentanone, methoxyphenol, acetic acid, methanol, acetone, furfural, phenol, formic acid, levoglucosan, guaiocol, and their alkylated phenol derivatives. When wood is rapidly heated in a reduced oxygen environment, the feeding material does not combust but rather becomes a synthetic gas (syngas), a combination of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO). Wood can be converted by hydrolysis into sugars and subsequently fermentation of sugars.