Engineering Commons^™

Conversion Of Pretreated Hardwood To Medium-Chain Fatty Acids For Production Of Biolubricants, Koorosh Kashkooli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA, e.g., hexanoic, heptanoic and octanoic acid) are versatile chemical compounds that are suitable precursors for the production of high-carbon-number, value-added chemicals such as bio-based lubricants. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA, e.g., acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric acid) and methane are the natural fermentation products of anaerobic digestion, however, they have a lower value compared to MCFAs. Our current investigation seeks to integrate the production of MCFAs through chain elongation fermentation of pretreated biomass with catalytic conversion of MCFAs to lubricant molecules. By adding reducing agents such as ethanol and lactic acid to the anaerobic digestion, and inhibiting methanogenesis, …