Title:
Valorization of Norway Spruce Bark (Picea Abies) Residues - Extraction and Analysis of Phenolic Constituents
Author(s):
Rücker, T., Berglihn, O.T., Wittgens, B., Weging, S.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Bark of conifers, such as from Norway spruce (Picea abies) is an undeniable residue of the wood and pulp industry. Before this raw material is used for heat conversion, its value chain can be added to this biomass with an extraction of valuable components. This requires knowledge of the combination and quantities of extractable compounds. Numerous scientific papers describe that bark contains bioactive substances such as phenols. The idea of producing fossil-based chemicals from renewable resources focuses particularly on chemicals associated with health benefits due to their antioxidant properties. For this reason, a cost-effective extraction method with thermal pretreatment was developed. To homogenize the bark, the co-rotating twin screw compounder combines several functions in one unit: mixing, conveying and crushing. These functions were optimally adjusted for pre-treatment by designing the screws and setting the operating conditions such as temperature, pressure and residence time in the compounder. Extract yields of up to 0.4 g/g dry bark containing more than 40 different constituents could be obtained with a relatively simple extraction setup. Among them are, for example vanillin, vanillic acid, catechol and other phenolic structures. The results confirm that significant amounts of valuable chemicals can be produced by extraction of bark, and simultaneously the salt content in the biomass is reduced. The process represents a possibility of a holistic utilization of bark residues, in which valuable ingredients are first recovered and then the fibre material is available as a suitable raw material to produce e.g., charcoal. A pre-liminary technical and economic analysis shows that the implementation of this process on an industrial scale is possible.
Keywords:
bark, industrial scale application, yield, characterization, extraction, compounder
Topic:
Biomass Conversion to Bio-Based Products and Chemicals
Subtopic:
Processes for bio-based chemicals and materials
Event:
30th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
6BO.8.2
Pages:
1021 - 1031
ISBN:
978-88-89407-22-6
Paper DOI:
10.5071/30thEUBCE2022-6BO.8.2
Price:
FREE
