Biochemicals

Realizing the full potential of Maine’s burgeoning bio-alternative industries requires continual research on its scientific underpinnings.

  • Goal 1: Research Objective
    Continue industry-leading research on nanocellulose, biofuels, and bio-derived polymers (i.e., plastics and rubbers derived from plant and algae resources).
  • Goal 2: Enterprise Objective
    Continue improving the production and properties of bio-alternatives for use in a wide variety of industrial applications.
  • Goal 3: Workforce Objective
    Maintain world-class bio-alternative research facilities and educational programs to train the next generation of innovators.
  • Goal 4: Climate Change Objective
    Increase demand for low-energy, carbon- sequestering products.

Biofuels

Developing forest biorefineries to produce advanced biofuels and biomaterials would help sustain Maine’s existing and emerging forest products sector by maximizing the utilization of the whole tree to increase total profitability of Maine’s sustainable forest harvest. The growth of forest biorefineries in Maine benefits other economic sectors, especially agriculture and aquaculture. Synergies between emerging recirculating aquaculture systems and forest biorefineries will minimize the environmental burden of producing advanced biofuels and aquaproducts, and maximize the revenue and positive climate impacts of both biorefineries and land-based aquaculture systems. Sustainable biorefinery outputs can support aquatic veterinary products, biobased recirculating aquaculture system filtration media, and alternative protein feed for aquaculture to create a symbiotic relationship between Maine’s forest and marine economies not seen since Maine’s world leading wood shipbuilding industry faded. Maine is geographically well- positioned to become a global leader in land-based aquaculture, and has the potential to attract nearly half a billion dollars in land-based aquaculture that utilizes recirculating aquaculture systems. Finally, some biochars produced by forest biorefineries can increase soil health, enhance soil carbon sequestration, and reduce nutrient runoff when used as soil amendments .

The University of Maine has been developing a pilot- scale forest biorefinery built around thermochemical pathways. UMaine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute was established with funding from NSF and DOE EPSCoR programs, and has supported lab-scale demonstration and understanding of fundamental chemistry underlying thermochemical pathways. Subsequent DOD grants have supported the transition of thermochemical technologies to the pilot scale with a feedstock processing capacity of one metric ton per day. Improving the carbon yields of current biofuels processes by creating markets for co-products and by effectively fractionating the feedstocks into components for alternative uses can enable forest biorefinery commercialization. Microbial conversion and hydrothermal liquefaction of underutilized biomass components have potential for improving net carbon yields for the resulting products. Novel biomass-derived filtration media for the land-based aquaculture wastewater treatment or novel biomass derived vaccine adjuvants for fish are a few examples of biorefinery synergies with other Maine industries.

Opportunities and Objectives

  • Maine annually consumes about 190 billion BTU equivalent of petroleum derived fuels and replacing them with forest-derived biofuels can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50%.
  • The total agriculture land in Maine is about 1.3 million acres, and Maine’s agricultural production and processing industries represented 4.6% of the state’s GDP. Thus, improving soil health and mitigation of greenhouse gases and nutrient losses are necessary for sustainable agriculture growth .
  • Maine’s land-based aquaculture is expected to expand significantly in the next five to ten years.

Primary objectives are 1) develop forest biorefineries producing sustainable biofuels from forest residues and underutilized wood in Maine, and 2) synthesize biomaterials for use as soil amendments, vaccine adjuvants, and biofilters in aquaculture.

Notable Institutions and Organizations

  • FOR/Maine
  • MTI and FAME — for funding
  • SEAMaine
  • University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute
  • University of Maine Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
  • University of Maine Forest Bioproducts Research Institute
  • University of Maine Process Development Center
  • University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture

Research Activities

Past

  • Strategic assessment and planning for future forest economy by For/Maine
  • DOE EPSCoR grant for fundamental understanding of thermal deoxygenation (TDO) pathway
  • NSF EPSCoR and DLA funding to scale up integration of acid hydrolysis and dehydration and TDO technologies to pilot scale
  • NSF funding for the sustainability assessment of thermochemical pathways and identifying potential coproducts of forest biorefinery for attaining commercial relevance

Current

  • Catalytic ring opening of mono and bicyclic aromatic compounds of biooil to make advances fuels (diesel and jet fuels)
  • Hydrothermal liquefaction of kraft lignin to biofuels
  • Understanding the effects of preprocessing strategies on the conversion of forest residues to biofuels with the collaboration of Idaho National Laboratory technologies
  • Studying the oleaginous yeasts and mixed cultures for the conversion of hemicelluloses to value-added products
  • Field studies of the biochar produced in the acid hydrolysis and dehydration of forest residues as a potential soil amendment
  • Synthesis of nanocellulose vaccine adjuvants for fish

Future

  • Understanding the mechanism of biomass depolymerization using hydrothermal liquefaction with/without the presence of small, medium, and long chain fatty acids
  • Study various oleaginous strains and mixed culture to produce small, medium, and long chain fatty acids from hemicelluloses
  • Study various strains of protein rich microbes to convert hemicelluloses and organic acids to single cell protein suitable for blending into sustainable fish feeds.
  • Develop novel separation processes for the extraction of aromatic compounds from hydrothermal liquefaction oil
  • Upgrade hydrothermal liquefaction oil to advanced biofuels
  • Synthesize and characterize novel biomass derived filters for the treatment of recirculating aquaculture wastewater and biomass based vaccine adjuvants for fish
  • Life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of integrated forest biorefineries and land-based aquaculture
  • Develop novel methods to modify biochar for maximizing the adsorption of nutrients
  • Efficient preprocessing and fractionation of forest residues to produce advanced biofuels and biomaterials in a forest biorefinery

References

Forest opportunity roadmap Maine, 2018. Available at http://formaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ FORMaine_Report_DL_041119.pdf

Gunukula et al., Techno-economic analysis of thermal deoxygenation based biorefineries for the coproduction of fuels and chemicals, Applied

Energy, 214, 16-23, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. apenergy.2018.01.065

Maine Department of Economic & Community Development, Available at https://www. maine.gov/decd/businessdevelopment/ landbasedaquaculture#:~:text=Maine%20is%20 targeting%20land%2Dbased,that%20removes%20 and%20sanitizes%20waste.

Daigneault et al., Maine Forestry and Agriculture Natural Climate Solutions Mitigation Potential Final Report. University of Maine, Center for

Research on Sustainable Forests, 2021. DOI:10.13140/ RG.2.2.35774.00325/2.

Collett et al., Renewable diesel via hydrothermal liquefaction of oleaginous yeast and residual lignin from bioconversion of corn stover, Applied Energy, 233-234, 840-853, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. apenergy.2018.09.115

Kumar et al., Lignin: Drug/Gene Delivery and Tissue Engineering Applications, International Journal of Nanomedicine, 16, 2419-2441, 2021. DOI: 10.2147/IJN. S303462

Kline et al., Hydrogenation of 2-methylnaphthalene over bi-functional Ni catalysts, 630, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.apcata.2021.118462

Bioplastics

Bio-derived polymers (i.e., plastics and rubbers derived from plant resources) are in increasing demand due to market and environmental forces aimed at reducing the carbon footprint and the disposal challenge of current materials. Consumers and government officials are driving the change through activities like plastic bag ban initiatives, pressure for more environmentally friendly packaging, and rules regarding plastic discharge into waterways. Companies and industry are attempting to respond to this pressure by utilizing biobased and biodegradable polymers.

However, few biobased polymers currently exist. Both companies and the public are looking for alternatives. This need for new materials and Maine’s forest resources creates a significant opportunity to develop new biobased polymers that can be sourced from raw materials in the state.

Biobased and sustainable polymer research has primarily been conducted at the University of Maine focusing on utilizing molecules derived from woody biomass residues, often as a potential side product in the lumber and pulp industries. One strategy is to use current bio-derived polymers from wood biomass, such as modified celluloses, and modify these materials further for high-value applications, such as biomedical uses. Another strategy is to use biocatalytic and catalytic methods to produce building block molecules that can be used to produce polymer monomers. These research efforts and molecules have the added benefit of being applicable to other specialty chemicals. These bio- derived molecules then can be further developed into replacement biobased polymer adhesives and new thermoplastics. One advantage of using bio-derived polymers is that biodegradability and recycling can be designed into the new materials, increasing the value proposition and positioning these materials to address the future material challenges driven by consumers and the government .

Opportunity & Objective

There are significant concerns about plastics, particularly when accidentally released in the environment. Bio-derived polymer usage is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades to address end-of-life and petroleum sourcing concerns. Monomer building blocks for polymers could become high-value side products for Maine’s lumber and pulp industries.

The primary objectives are:

  • Develop methods to convert wood derivatives into molecules that are the starting materials for current polymers
  • Develop methods to convert wood derivatives directly into new biobased polymers
  • Develop chemistry and catalysis to create new monomers for new biobased polymers
  • Find new applications for currently available biobased polymers

Research Activities

Past

  • Utilization of lignin pyrolysis products to create biobased phenolic resins (offshoot of DOE ESPCoR)
  • Cellulose derivatives as coatings (part of NSF EPSCoR)
  • Biobased thermoplastics from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and lignin (USDA NIFA coproducts from biomass feedstocks)

Current

  • Biobased polymers from HMF and lignin for paper coatings

Future

  • New biobased polymers for barrier coatings for paper
  • Lignin derived polyesters for paper coatings
  • New biobased resins for composites
  • New catalysis and reaction methods to produce molecular building blocks for biobased polymers
  • New applications for marine-derived polymers such as chitosan from lobster shells and hydrocolloids from seaweeds

Nanocellulose

  • There has been explosive growth in the development of new or improved products based on nanocellulose, which is primarily obtained from wood. Companies are exploring and launching a wide variety of products using nanocellulose: to modify rheological properties (paints, coatings, drilling fluids), replace plastics (specialized papers, composites, absorbent materials, electronics), and replace synthetic formaldehyde-based adhesives or leverage the bio-compatibility of nanocellulose (biomedical, pharmaceutical, tissue engineering). Driven by the unique properties of these materials— strength and optical properties, their biocompatibility with the human body, the ability for sustainable sourcing, and their renewable nature — companies around the world are exploring how these materials can transform existing products and launch next-generation renewably based products.
  • In July 2018, Indufor North America LLC, performed an extensive global market analysis, to evaluate potential forest-based markets that best match Maine’s forest and other resources. This study was commissioned by FOR/Maine (formaine.org). The Northern Forest Region is home to assets that are nationally and globally unique for the production and use of nanocellulose. This study included a competitive benchmarking element to rate Maine’s competitive advantage on a global scale. These reports identified nanocellulose as one of the top ten products for Maine to consider. In the final report, nanocellulose production in Maine was ranked second only to Finland when evaluated against key indicators, including raw material availability and cost, labor skill and cost, freight/ infrastructure, regulations, taxes, energy, and an enabling environment. This report contrasted other U.S. regions, and Maine outranked the U.S. Southeast and Pacific Northwest, and confirmed the Northeast’s potential to succeed in this market .
  • The Northern Border Region is uniquely positioned to become “Nanocellulose Valley,” akin to Silicon Valley in California. Maine can leverage the well-managed natural resources— trees — to extract and process both residuals and higher quality wood materials for cellulose nanofiber (CNF) production. The region can also capitalize on the largest concentrated knowledge base — the University of Maine — for developing and commercializing products using nanocellulose. These attributes, coupled with the lifestyles available within the states, can attract young professionals and entrepreneurs.

The Northern Border Region also offers another unique advantage compared to other traditional forest-based economies — proximity to East Coast markets and ports. Not only does proximity to Boston, New York and Philadelphia provide excellent outlets for new products, but these cities offer technology and capital to invest in this new Nanocellulose Valley that is in their backyard. Many CNF-based applications are in the biomedical area, which would complement the region’s healthcare industry and small businesses developing novel products.

Opportunity and Objective

  • The growing global demand for climate- smart products, primarily as alternatives to plastics and synthetic resins, provides a unique opportunity for wood
  • Leverage Maine’s 16.3 million acres of privately owned working forests, utilizing a well- established infrastructure to sustainably produce 13 million tons of wood per year
  • Deploy recent innovations using cellulose nanofiber in the construction, advanced manufacturing and biomedical fields
  • Leverage our leadership in the development of cellulose nanofiber production and use from wood residuals
  • The primary objectives are:
  • Develop scalable CNF production from forest residuals and other underutilized wood/non- wood sources
  • Develop CNF as a binder with other wood materials through foam forming and other forming technologies to produce structural and other construction materials
  • Develop and scale surface-modified CNF to further enhance properties
  • Develop biomedical applications of CNF in a variety of forms
  • Expand the use of CNF in additive manufacturing in particular large area additive manufacturing

Notable Institutions

  • FiberLean (Hampden, Maine) — commercial supplier of CNF production technology
  • FOR/Maine — an EDA-funded initiative to sustain and grow Maine’s forest bioeconomy
  • Forest Products Laboratory, USDA – the only federally funded wood utilization research laboratory in the U.S.
  • GoLab (Belfast, Maine)
  • Sappi NA (Westbrook, Maine) — commercial nanocellulose products
  • University of Maine
  • Valmet (Nashua, New Hampshire) — CNF production technology partner

Research Activities

Past

  • Demonstration of pilot-scale production of cellulose nanofiber at one ton per day supported by $1.5 million investment: USDA. This enabled the first ever pilot-scale production line of CNF in the nation and accelerates research into traditional and novel applications
  • USDA ARS funding — $300,000 every year from 2016-2020: USDA/ARS-funded research and development in binder applications of CNF led to several publications, technologies, and patents
  • P3 Nano funding over $1.2 million from 2014-2021: Initiated the development of building products using CNF

Current

  • Developing pilot-scale continuous production of cellulose nanofiber — $2.1 million from Northern Border Regional Commission and ORNL Hub and Spoke Program
  • $40 million over three years from the Hub and Spoke program with Oak Ridge National Labs (Phases 1-3, 2019-2025) focuses on optimizing low-energy production and use of cellulose nanofiber for large-area 3D printing applications
  • Exploring use of cellulose nanofiber in fiber thermoforming as an additive, as well as a surface treatment after forming — $500,000 from Northern Border Regional Commission
  • $400,000 from ARS in 2021: Enabled the first commercial trial to produce insulation-grade fiberboard in collaboration with Blue Ridge Fiberboard in Virginia.

Future

  • Continue research and development in the production, drying, and surface modification of CNF for current and future applications Challenges are the energy consumption, expanding the raw material options, efficient drying while maintaining nanoscale dimensions, improve compatibility with other materials, and develop application-targeted CNF products
  • Scaling the binder applications of CNF in construction and automotive industry through design and implementation of processing technology, improvement of formulations, as well as seeking novel future applications
  • Biomedical applications
  • Develop CNF and modified CNF as tailored feedstock components for large area additive manufacturing applications to improve processability and end-product performance