Hello shivaji,
I was surprised to find just how many substances can be derived from
wood, although I suppose I shouldn’t be given that it’s a complex
biological substance.
A summary of the Process Economics Program Report 147 from the site of
SRI Consulting's Process Economics Program. The report is all about
“Wood and Wood Wastes”
http://pep.sric.sri.com/Public/Reports/Phase_80/RP147/RP147.html
Unfortunately, the full report is only available to registered
clients. However, the summary alone has a lot of information. Here
are the substances it lists:
“several specialty organic chemicals from wood wastes and wood pulp
residues including vanillin, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl sulfoxide,
phenol and benzene, pyrolysis oil, and furfural.”
Wood and wood wastes can be used “as a feedstock for a number of basic
chemicals, such as methanol and ammonia from synthesis gas and
ethylene or butadiene from fermentation ethanol”
“Other by-products available from wood include lignosulfonates, tall
oil, turpentine, fractionated rosin acids, gums, sugars, and yeast”
Phew! What are some of these chemicals used for?
Vanillin is used in the food industry for flavouring, and also in the
fragrance industry. I thought vanillin came from vanilla pods. Well,
yes and no: “Vanillin, the crystalline component, was first isolated
from vanilla pods by Gobley in 1858. By 1874 it had been obtained from
glycosides of pine tree sap, temporarily causing an economic
depression in the natural vanilla industry.” Although this method was
only in fashion for about 50 years, a currently important “source of
vanillin is lignin, a byproduct of paper pulp manufacture.”
From the Department of Chemistry, University of West Indies
http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm:1104/lectures/vanilla.html
Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) is widely used as an anti-coking agent in
ethylene furnaces. https://www.e-organicchemicals.com/thio/sulfur_chemicals/fuse.cfm/act/Petrochemicals_Market
(Atofina Company web site)
Phenol is very toxic, but widely used, as seen in this Lakes
Environmental Software factsheet based on information from the EPA
database (Environmental Protection Agency)
“The primary use of phenol is in the production of phenolic resins,
which are used in the plywood, construction, automotive, and appliance
industries. Phenol is also used in the production of caprolactam and
bisphenol A, which are intermediates in the manufacture of nylon and
epoxy resins, respectively. Other uses of phenol include as a
slimicide, as a disinfectant, and in medicinal products such as ear
and nose drops, throat lozenges, and mouthwashes.” [Yikes! It’s
supposed to be toxic yet is goes in mouthwashes etc!]
http://www.lakes-environmental.com/toxic/PHENOL.HTML
Benzene is also toxic and it “is used in the manufacture of plastics,
detergents, pesticides, and other chemicals.” U.S. Department of
Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) at
http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/benzene/
About furfural, OSHA says “Use during removal of industrial coatings
in open-surface tanks and in road construction…. ….as a wetting agent
in manufacture of abrasive wheels; in the production of lysine .. …in
rubber or phenolic cement adhesives; as a laboratory reagent …
…molding of friction materials such as brake linings, clutch facings,
brake blocks, etc.,… …e in manufactural of pharmaceuticals and
furfural-phenol plastics, in the preparation of pyromucic acid; in
manufacture of thermosetting resins; and as a solvent for nitrated
cotton, nitrocellulose, shoe dyes, cellulose acetate, gums, synthetic
and natural resins, dyes, and polymers … as a flotation agent and in
the refining of rare earth and other metals”
http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/furfural/recognition.html
“Lignosulfonates are extremely versatile and are used in a wide
variety of industrial applications. While most often associated by the
general public with dust control and surface stabilization for roads,
lignosulfonates are used as binders, dispersants, emulsifiers and
sequestrants in a host of products such as gypsum board, animal feed
pellets and micronutrient systems.”
From a FAQ by the Lignin Institute http://www.lignin.info/answers.htm
“Tall oil rosin is used to produce paper sizing agents, resins for
paint, ink, tackifiers, and emulsifiers. Tall oil fatty acids'
characteristics are similar to soybean fatty acids, and are used in
paint, surfactants, detergents, lubricants and as interermediates.
Distilled tall oil and tall oil pitch are by-product of the crude tall
oil fractination process. Distilled tall oil are mixure of rosin and
fatty acids, and are used in lubricants and surfactants.” From the
Harima Chemicals Company, Japan
http://www.harima.co.jp/products/tall_e.html
And there is hope that another chemical that can be produced from wood
has a bright future, although it is not currently an industrial
chemical. “A new bacteria (AFP111) is being used to ferment sugars
derived from wood wastes and plant crop residues. The microorganism’s
metabolic pathways are
being genetically engineered so they are capable of converting
different types of sugars very efficiently. The new bacteria will be
used to produce succinic acid, which is not currently a commodity
chemical. However, if succinic acid could be produced from biomass,
the lower cost would allow it to compete with more
chemicals currently produced from petroleum-based feedstocks. The
competively-priced succinic acid could then be used directly or as a
precursor for many industrial chemicals that are used in the
manufacture of plastics, paint, and other products. The result would
be a significant reduction in the use of petroleum
resources.”
Fact sheet from Office of Industrial Technologies, Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
http://www.oit.doe.gov/chemicals/factsheets/succinic.pdf (PDF so you
need to have Acrobat Reader to view this).
I hope that’s given you some insight into the wealth of chemicals that
can be obtained from wood. Please send a request for clarification if
you are not clear about anything or require further help on this
query.
Search strategy on Google: industrial chemicals “from wood”
and then separate searches on the names of the chemicals identified |
