Catalytic conversion of waste corrugated cardboard into lactic acid using lanthanide triflates

Kwang Ho Kim; Xuanjun Jin; Anqi Ji; Alvina Aui; Mark Mba-Wright; Chun-Jae Yoo; Jae-Wook Choi; Jeong-Myeong Ha; Chang Soo Kim; Chang Geun Yoo; Joon Weon Choi

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2022.03.005

Catalytic conversion of waste corrugated cardboard into lactic acid using lanthanide triflates

Waste Manag. 2022 May 1:144:41-48. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.03.005. Epub 2022 Mar 17.

Authors

Kwang Ho Kim¹, Xuanjun Jin², Anqi Ji³, Alvina Aui⁴, Mark Mba-Wright⁴, Chun-Jae Yoo⁵, Jae-Wook Choi⁵, Jeong-Myeong Ha⁵, Chang Soo Kim⁵, Chang Geun Yoo⁶, Joon Weon Choi²

Affiliations

¹ Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; Department of Wood Science, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. Electronic address: kwanghokim@kist.re.kr.
² Graduate School of International Agricultural Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang 25354, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, USA.
⁵ Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea.
⁶ Department of Chemical Engineering, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA; The Michael M. Szwarc Polymer Research Institute, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.

PMID: 35306464
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.03.005

Abstract

The efficient strategy for waste conversion and resource recovery is of great interest in the sustainable bioeconomy context. This work reports on the catalytic upcycling of waste corrugated cardboard (WCC) into lactic acid using lanthanide triflates catalysts. WCC, a primary contributor to municipal solid wastes, has been viewed as a feedstock for producing a wide range of renewable products. Hydrothermal conversion of WCC was carried out in the presence of several lanthanide triflates. The reaction with erbium(III) triflate (Er(OTf)₃) and ytterbium(III) triflate (Yb(OTf)₃) resulted in high lactic acid yields, 65.5 and 64.3 mol%, respectively. In addition, various monomeric phenols were readily obtained as a co-product stream, opening up opportunities in waste management and resource recovery. Finally, technoeconomic analysis was conducted based on the experimental results, which suggests a significant economic benefit of chemocatalytic upcycling of WCC into lactic acid.

Keywords: Circular bioeconomy; Hydrothermal reaction; Municipal solid wastes; Technoeconomic analysis.

MeSH terms

Catalysis
Lactic Acid
Lanthanoid Series Elements*
Solid Waste / analysis
Waste Management*

Substances

Lanthanoid Series Elements
Solid Waste
Lactic Acid