Recovery of acetic acid from pulp mill-derived hemicellulose extract

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

Who’s Involved?

Research Introduction

Two methods of acetic acid recovery are under investigation: solvent extraction at low pH and extraction by tertiary amines at neutral pH. The different options for the pH of the recovery may lead to alternate processing options up and down stream of the acetic acid recovery step.

Research Details

Acetic acid is a commonly used industrial chemical and is also a food product–known as vinegar! Acetic acid is a minor component of wood. It can be extracted from wood chips using hot water and chemicals. This project seeks to recover the acetic acid from a watery solution produced by a pulp mill so that the acetic acid can be sold as a pure chemical.

What’s New on this Project?

This is a new project. Experiments are being designed to test and compare different technologies for the recovery of acetic acid from pulp mill-derived hemicellulose extracts. Initial work is being planned for acetic acid recovery from simple model systems. Future work will investigate the methods on actual process extracts.