The invention relates to a method for producing an oil rich fraction (OF) from primary feedstock (FS) that comprises water, first salt, second salt, and biomass. The feedstock (FS) is provided to a first reaction zone (Z1) of a conversion reactor (100), where it is allowed to react at a temperature of at least 350° C. in a pressure of at least 160 bar to form converted primary feedstock. The method comprises separating from the converted primary feedstock a first salt rich fraction (SF1), a second salt rich fraction (SF2), and an oil rich fraction (OF). The method comprises withdrawing the oil rich fraction (OF) from the first reaction zone (Z1) and withdrawing the first salt rich fraction (SF1) and the second salt rich fraction (SF2) from the conversion reactor (100). In the method the first salt rich fraction (SF1) comprises at least some of the first salt dissolved in the water, the second salt rich fraction (SF2) comprises at least some of the second salt in solid form, and at least one of the first salt and the second salt is a salt capable of catalysing the reaction of the biomass of the primary feedstock (FS) with the water of the primary feedstock (FS) to produce the oil rich fraction (OF). A device for the same.

The invention relates to a method for the treatment and utilization of waste liquor containing at least polyester degradation products and originating from an alkaline pulping process for the extraction of cellulose raw material from blended textile waste which contains at least a cellulose component and a polyester component. In order to make the method environmentally friendlier and more resource-efficient, it is proposed that the method comprises the following steps: the evaporation of water from the waste liquor in order to precipitate the polyester degradation product from the waste liquor and to obtain a two-phase mixture having an aqueous phase and a solid phase including the polyester degradation product, b) the separation of the solid phase from the liquid phase, and c) the thermal/energetic utilization of the solid phase.

According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of removing volatile compounds from a lignin-containing material, the method comprising: providing a material comprising lignin and volatile compounds; treating the material by a distillation method in order to vaporize at least a part of the volatile compounds.

A method for co-producing molded food-container pulp and fulvic acid from cotton stalk, which belongs to the field of comprehensive utilization of crop straw resources. The method adopts digesting, defibering and bio-treating measures to remove pectin and hemicellulose and other anionic waste generating sources in cotton straw raw materials to obtain a pulp with low beating degree; and retains part of lignin to help form oil-proof and waterproof film of a molded food-container and improves the stiffness and water filtration of the molded food-container and increases a yield of fiber pulp; adopts ammonium sulfite method to pulping to meet fiber requirements while obtaining fulvic acid.

The invention herein disclosed and claimed is a process for refining fiber from lignocellulosic biomass. The process provides refined fiber and agriculturally amenable co-products, with a virtually waste-free systems design.

Provided are cost-effective methods and systems for producing a low molecular weight reactive lignin from a lignocellulosic biomass. The process is rapid and the reactive lignin is easily separated from carbohydrates and other components of the biomass at low cost. This clean lignin product has a very low molecular weight, good hydroxyl content, and low ash and sulfur, making it valuable to many applications.

An oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose material is disclosed herein, for nanocellulose sponges and other applications. The oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose material comprises lignin-coated cellulose nanofibrils and/or lignin-coated cellulose nanocrystals. In various embodiments, the nanocellulose material is in the form of a 2D coating or layer, or a 3D object (e.g., foam or aerogel). The nanocellulose material may be disposed onto a scaffold. A process is provided for producing an oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose object, comprising fractionating a biomass feedstock with an acid, a solvent for lignin, and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a lignin-containing liquor; mechanically treating the cellulose-rich solids to form cellulose fibrils and/or cellulose crystals; generating a nanocellulose object from the intermediate nanocellulose material; exposing the nanocellulose object to the lignin-containing liquor to allow lignin to deposit onto a surface of the nanocellulose object; and recovering the oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose object.

A method for controlling a chemical recovery boiler. The method includes measuring concentrations of sodium carbonate, sodium sulfide, and sodium sulfate from green liquor of the chemical recovery boiler, determining a target temperature for smelt, imaging at least an area of a char bed of the chemical recovery boiler, the area being close to a smelt spout, to obtain an image of the area, determining a measured temperature of the char bed using the image of the area. The method further includes determining that the measured temperature of the char bed is less than the target temperature for smelt, and controlling the chemical recovery boiler such that the temperature of the char bed increases. A chemical recovery boiler for the same.

A process for producing binderless formaldehyde-free fiberboard and coproducing fulvic acid from straw. All-element purification, activation, saccharification and separation are carried out on the non-wood fiber raw material through boiling and defibering to obtain primarily activated lignin, purified and activated fibers, monosaccharides of hemicellulose and non-wood fibers, and fulvic acid. Deep activation is carried out on activated lignin. The binderless formaldehyde-free fiberboard is produced by using sufficiently activated lignin and low-molecular-weight monosaccharides as a hardener and binder. By sufficiently activating the lignin, comprehensive utilization of straw fiber as resources is realized, and the special requirements of binderless formaldehyde-free fiberboard for high-quality fibrous raw material and high-activity lignin are met. The boiled dilute black liquor was subjected to extraction and concentrated to obtain fulvic acid, thereby avoiding pollution caused by pulping and board production. The distilled water obtained by carrying out evaporative concentration on the boiled dilute black liquor is reused.

The present invention relates to processes for extracting lignin from black liquor. In particular, processes for both extracting acidic lignin and extracting alkaline lignin from black liquor are disclosed, comprising: precipitating lignin by acidification of black liquor; adjusting the temperature to above 60° C.; cooling; separation; and displacement washing and/or washing by ion exchange.