LevWave

Driven by a range of sustainability challenges such as climate change, resource depletion and an expanding population, a circular bioeconomy concept is emerging which envisages the use and re-use of sustainable resources to meet pressing societal needs. This will accelerate in the coming decades, with biorefineries and bio-based products as key cornerstones. This in turn demands the development of new technologies to replace fossil resources as the primary feedstocks; such technologies will only be adopted at suitable scale if the economics are right for all involved.

Levwave seeks to explore an innovative and highly efficient technology to produce a key sustainable chemical, levulinic acid (LA) by using aqueous streams available in the paper industry. LA has been identified as one of the top-10 bio-based chemicals. Seen as a "platform" molecule it can displace the use of fossil resources in many applications including as a green solvent, precursor for the production of advanced polymers, pharmaceuticals, additives and other commodity chemicals we all rely on. However, there is no current production in the UK.

A project team with outstanding and complementary expertise has been assembled, this contains all the necessary expertise in science, technology, process design, techno-economic and environmental impact assessment and spans the entire value chain.

At the heart of this concept is the microwave assisted catalytic transformation of aqueous biomass containing streams into LA. The biochar also be produced will be assessed for energy generation. The basic concept has been demonstrated by the University partner. There are several innovative aspects of this project; the impact of advanced catalysts on process and product will be assessed, the scale up to a continuous process will be studied and the end uses of the products will be investigated. These combined activities will provide data that will inform techno-economic and environmental assessments that will determine the commercial viability of the process from the perspective of both the paper and chemical sectors. This critical new data will be a key output of the project and allow a follow on to be structured accordingly, focussing on the critical aspects.

This project clearly responds to the ISCF call to bring together two foundation industry sectors to explore mutually beneficial technology developments that would not occur independently. Longer term the production of this key platform molecule will drive the national ambition to become leaders in low carbon, sustainable manufacturing and create regionally distributed, highly skilled manufacturing jobs.