EUBCE 2026 - Neus PUY MARIMÓN - Integrated Pyrolysis and Biorefinery Strategies for Valorising Forestry Biomass Through the Production of Calcium Acetate

Integrated Pyrolysis and Biorefinery Strategies for Valorising Forestry Biomass Through the Production of Calcium Acetate

Short Introductive summary

This study presents a novel thermochemical biorefinery pathway for valorising two underutilised forest biomasses—Aleppo pine and Holm oak—by converting them into calcium acetate, a versatile chemical widely used across the chemical, pharmaceutical, construction, and food industries. To achieve this goal woody biomass is pyrolysed at 450?°C in a semi-industrial auger reactor, yielding bio-oil that is subsequently refined using a novel methodology that employs rotary evaporation, phenolic adsorption, and neutralisation with calcium oxide. This methodology enables the selective recovery of acetic acid—the predominant component of bio-oil—as calcium acetate. Analytical techniques, including GC-MS, acid-base titration, and the Folin-Ciocalteu assay, confirmed the high purity of the final product and demonstrated the process’s efficiency. Notably, Holm oak consistently yielded significantly more calcium acetate from the aqueous phase of bio-oil than Aleppo pine, highlighting its superior potential for this valorisation strategy.

M. Mora i Sanjuan, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia, Solsona, SPAIN
A. Canals-Calderón, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia, Solsona, SPAIN
E. Fàbregas Martínez, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, SPAIN
F. Céspedes Mulero, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, SPAIN
N. Puy Marimón, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia, Solsona, SPAIN