From woody biomass to chemical raw material: relance means for the BioCon project

If the chemical industry wants to become more sustainable, it must free itself from its dependence on fossil fuels, such as petroleum and natural gas. This is possible by using biomass from green waste flows (wood waste, plant residues...), a source that not only avoids net CO2 emissions but, above all, does not constitute a threat to food production.

But before this biomass can be used as an alternative chemical raw material, a thorough conversion is needed first. The BioCon project is setting up a research platform to refine woody biomass into chemical raw materials. The focus will be on lignin, the biological component that makes trees and plants rigid. Chemists within BioCon will investigate how lignin can be optimally isolated from the biomass, purified and stabilised.

“With this project, we want to demonstrate that the extraction of lignin from green waste flows, such as plant residues and waste wood, and its conversion into chemical raw materials isn’t only circular, but also technologically and economically feasible”, says full professor of bioengineering Bert Sels. "The chemical industry is a very investment intensive industry; a successful innovation usually entails quite some preliminary research. With this pilot project, we want to take lignin conversion beyond the laboratory phase."

Division: Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering
Project manager: Bert Sels
Allocated amount: 8.2 million euros