The Potential of Lignocellulosic Materials for the Production of Chemicals,Fuels,and Energy.

摘要

There is an abundance of lignocellulose potentially available in the United States beyond that needed for structural,packaging and communications applications. This material could satisfy about 10percent of our national energy needs or alternatively could provide the basis for a substantial chemicals industry in perpetuity. For conservation of energy and materials the logical sequence of approaches to obtaining chemicals and polymers from lignocellulose is suggested as follows: (1) Recovery of lignocellulosic chemicals from waste existing manufacturing operations now using these materials for other uses and from urban and agricultural solid waste; (2) Conversion of cellulose,lignin and hemicelluloses and their derivatives into useful products taking advantage of their existing polymeric structure; (3) Conversion of cellulose,lignin and hemicelluloses into chemical intermediates which can be reassembled into useful polymers. A strong research program should be directed at all the approaches,and engineering and economic analyses carried on concurrently with the conceptual development or processes and modified products.