Valorisation des écorces et des bourgeons d'érables

The renewed interest in developments related to green Chemistry and promotion of products from biomass: is due to two main factors: 1. the depletion of petroleum feedstocks. 2. the need for sustainable development at the heart of the industrial action to limit emissions of greenhouse gases. It is in this context that research on forest biomass, implicating principles of sustainable chemistry is leading to perpetual changes towads innovation. In this context, promoting complete utilisation of wood biomass, from extractives to structural biopolymers, represents an important strategy of competitiveness in the context of sustainable development, bringing economic benefits to forest industry. Considered as waste issued from wood transformation, little attention has been reserved in the past to the study of bark. Thus, in order to promote the valorisation of wood bark, several studies have revealed the bioactive molecules contents in bark. Indeed, current studies performed by the team of Prof. STEVANOVIC demonstrated the potential of an aqueous process to recover the extracts from bark and buds of sugar and red maples in order to determine their chemical composition and evaluate their bioactive properties. As a result of this process, the remaining barks after extraction barks still contain the structural polymer components which can be separated and transformed in value-added products. Thus, we are proposing here to apply a patented catalytic process on the barks remaining after extraction leading to a separation of a new organosolv lignin in order to study its different physicochemical characteristics and evaluate its potential applications. Indeed, having designed and developed a new method of organosolv process for lignin extraction, applied to wood (pending patent application), this process will be transposed onto bark of sugar and red maples in order to utilise the major polymers of this lignocellulosic material, lignin and cellulose along with the extractives available from the first step. In fact, the high purity properties of lignin from aspen (high Klason lignin content, low ash content and absence of residual sugar), thus obtained lignin, has a huge potential applications as carbon fiber. So we propose to apply this method of extraction of lignin from bark of red and sugar maples, first across the laboratory step then at pilot scale performed in production units of subcontractors, followed by the physicochemical characterisations of these lignins which will permit to consider the applications such as adhesive, fertilizer or carbon fiber. Finally, the involvement of all the partners, both Levaco and Decacer as well as the team of PR. STEVANOVIC, will ensure a scale-up of the technology at first followed by a commercialisation at international level.