BioMCat

Winner of the 2024 call for projects.

BioMCat focuses on the valorization of lignin-rich co-products, namely Brewers’ Spent Grain (BSG) from breweries and lignin extracted from black liquor or wood bark from paper industries. The objective is to develop a novel process for the transformation of lignin rich biomass to aromatic aldehydes as value-added chemicals.

For this, the project will focus on a first step of selective depolymerization of lignin toward cinnamic derivatives which will be carried out by biocatalysis and hydrogenolysis. After a separation step by membrane filtration, the cinnamic compounds will be selectively oxidized toward the target compounds, such as vanillin. This later reaction will be conducted under mild conditions (oxygen atmosphere in aqueous media) using heterogeneous supported metal catalysts or stabilized metal nanoparticles.

BioMCat units together partners from different fields, bringing their complementary expertise to the project.

To reach the objectives, the project is divided in eight work areas:

• Sourcing the lignin rich substrates from breweries and paper mill industries. Lignin extraction from these resources will be operated using robust methodologies developed by FCBA partner.
• Study the lignin depolymerization using enzymatic biocatalysts or fungi, and is led by renowned experts in the field from INRAE-BBF
• Developing selective lignin depolymerization to cinnamic compounds though hydrogenolysis, area led by IRCELYON.
   

Project lifetime:
 

2024 - 2028

Scientific manager:
 

Laurent Djakovitch (CNRS)