Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Currently, the pulp and paper industry is struggling financially due to the reduction in paper consumption and changes in global supply. The industry is searching for alternatives to increase its commercial revenues or reduce its operating costs. Cellulose is currently converted to paper products, but the lignin and some hemicelluloses that are extracted from woody biomass in the pulping process remain under-utilized. In Dr. Fatehi's research group, several research programs have been developed to valorize lignin and hemicelluloses in supporting pulp mills to initiate biorefineries. These programs include 1) the extraction of lignin and hemicelluloses from pulping spent liquors and wastewater effluents, and 2) the conversion of lignin to high-value flocculants and dispersants. To reduce the operating costs of wastewater treatment systems of the mills, a program is under investigation in Dr. Fatehi's group to use biomass fly ash as an adsorbent for wastewater effluents. A particle size analyzer is an essential instrument in colloid and surface science, and it is used by chemists, technologists and engineers worldwide. The instrument provides information about the size of particles in solutions/suspensions, which is crucial in controlling the behavior of particles in aqueous systems. The requested research instrument will advance the applicant's research programs substantially. It is also essential to student training (it will be used on a daily basis) and to applicant's national and international collaborations. It provides important information for 1) evaluating the performance of lignin-based products, which is essential for designing lignin-based dispersants and flocculants; 2) understanding the mechanism of chemical modification of lignin; and 3) understanding and therefore developing a fly ash-based wastewater treatment system. It is expected that, with the help of this instrument, techniques to increase revenues or to reduce the operating costs of the pulp mills will be developed and applied in pulp mills. These advances will help pulp mills in overcoming their current financial challenges. Valorized lignin will be a new product of pulp mills, improving their global competitiveness and offsetting the volatility of commodity prices. Supporting the pulping industry will secure Canada's competitiveness in the global commodities market, and will bring stable jobs and greater prosperity to communities. Furthermore, the replacement of oil-based flocculants and dispersants with lignin-based chemicals will enormously reduce the environmental impact of industrial and municipal wastewater treatment processes.