Lignin depolymerization to fuel components by catalytic hydrotreatment

There are large amount of lignin available and is anticipated to grow significantly with future bio-refineries. Thus there is a huge potential for producing large amounts of bio fuels if the technical issues are solved. A new and promising technique for this is catalytic hydrotreatment of lignin that offers advantages including lower char formation and milder operating conditions.  Based on the understanding novel and improved catalysts will be developed. In addition, it will include developing kinetic models for the lignin decomposition that can guide the development of catalysts by exploring reaction mechanisms and ultimately may be used for the sizing and design of processes.