FPInnovations and Resolute open a pilot biorefinery in Ontario to produce 2G sugars and lignin
Type of post: NEWS.
FPInnovations
and Resolute Forest
Products Inc. have just announced the commissioning of a new biorefinery at
pilot scale in Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada). The facility is focused on
developing new ways to efficiently manufacture and market innovative wood-based
biochemical products and it is based on the TMP-Bio technology developed by
FPInnovations.
Press release: “FPInnovations
and Resolute Inaugurate Thermomechanical Pulp Bio-Refinery in Thunder Bay”,
27/5/2019.
Related post: “FPInnovations
will partner with Resolute to launch pilot-scale biorefinery”, 25/8/2016.
Information about TMP-Bio technology: “Sweetening
the bioproducts’ market”, 1/15/2018.
Figure 1. Logos of FPInnovations and Resolute
Background
In view of the downturn in the demand for pulp
and paper in North America and the growing demand for bioproducts from renewable
resources, the research team of FPInnovations designed a process to obtain an
alternative revenue source utilizing idled facilities and creating jobs.
TMP-Bio technology has been already proven at
laboratory and small pilot scales. In fact, FPInnovations’ facility in
Pointe-Claire (Quebec, Canada) can produce one to two tons of sugar per year. FPInnovations
and Resolute joined forces in early 2018 to build a larger pilot plant at
Resolute's Thunder Bay pulp and paper mill. With the capacity to treat 100
metric tons of biomass annually, the new pilot biorefinery produces lignin and
sugars for use in the development of innovative bioproducts (wood adhesives,
animal feed and composites).
The objective of this project is to de-risk
subsequent scale-up and commercialization stages by: understanding the
behaviour of key process unit operations sized for commercial production, providing
larger samples to potential end-users to help confirm market needs and garnering
interest in building a commercial plant.
Technology
The solid understanding of the process and
equipment obtained by the research team enabled them to develop a modified
CTMP/TMP (Chemi-Thermal Mechanical Pulping / Thermal Mechanical Pulping)
process, accompanied by enzymatic hydrolysis. The process combines a mild
chemical treatment and low-temperature mechanical refining to transform
hardwood into clean sugar and hydrolysis lignin (H-lignin) streams.
The 2G sugars produced can be converted by specialised
companies into intermediate chemicals, mainly lactic or succinic acid. These
platform chemicals can be then transformed into a broad range of products such
as polyurethanes, paints, plastics, textiles, cosmetics and personal care
products.
Unlike the sugar streams, H-lignin can be used
as a biomaterial itself. Applications for it are currently being developed in
the lab. Just like any other lignocellulosic biomass biorefinery process,
finding and developing high-value lignin products and applications are critical
to the economic feasibility of TMP-Bio.
Support
This 23 million C$ project is part of an initiative
to renew and transform the forest products industry, building on investments by
Resolute, the Ontario Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy
(CRIBE) and Natural Resources Canada. The project also has the support of the
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, FedNor, the Thunder Bay Community
Economic Development Commission and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
and Forestry, in addition to contributions in research and applications from
the Québec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks and the Nova Scotia
Innovation Hub.
