Title: Conversion of lignocellulose components to value-added chemical products

Time: May 4, 2026 (Monday), 10:00–11:00 AM

Venue: Room 105 of the Shaw Engineering Building, Wushan Campus

Speaker: Prof. Peter J. Deuss (University of Groningen)

Invited by: Prof. Wu Xianyuan

Organized by: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology

Abstract:

Biorefineries require the efficient use of all biomass components in order to be economically competitive and sustainable.In this order the conversion to aromatic platform chemicals is of high interest. New routes need to be developed by 1) full utilization of the aromatic lignin component, 2) efficient routes to convert carbohydrate derived platform chemicals to valuable compounds. Both of these need to take a holistic approach in which all components find their maximum value and meet pressing market demands. In terms of carbohydrate conversion we have been working on the conversion of furans to aromatic platform chemicals via rearrangements under sub-supercritical water to components that have shown promising antimicrobialactivity. Also, we have clearly demonstrated how lignin depolymerisation efficiency can be linked to the isolation conditions. Therefore, milder green fractionation processes that yield lignin of improved quality are highly desired in order to open up new pathways to specific chemicals or for use in materials. For this reason, we tailor existing fractionation methodologies such as organosolv extraction in order to find the appropriate balance between lignin yield and quality of the obtained structure. This includes using alternative solvents and different reactor setups. At the same time the actual lignin extraction process is investigated, revealing how the nature of the extracted lignin changes during the extraction process and how this can beutilized to allow for extraction of lignin with specific chemical motifs. These chemical motifs can subsequently be utilized for novel modification strategiesas well as selective depolymerisation methods towards new aromatic monomers.

Biography:

Peter J. Deuss completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He then went to the University of St Andrews in Scotland, UK, where he joined the research group of Professor Paul Kamer to pursue his PhD, focusing on biomimetic catalysis, and obtained his doctorate in 2011. After that, he joined the laboratory of Professor Mike Gait at the Medical Research Council (MRC UK) Cambridge Molecular Biology Laboratory to conduct research on the development of bioconjugation techniques. In 2013, Peter J. Deuss joined the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, where he successively conducted postdoctoral research in the research groups of Professor Katalin Barta and Professor Erik Heeres, focusing on the catalytic conversion of renewable resources and the preparation of high-value chemicals. In 2016, he joined the Chemical Engineering Department of the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen (ENTEG) as a tenure-track assistant professor, and gradually established an independent research direction centered on the catalytic processing of sustainable resources. Subsequently, he was promoted to associate professor in 2021 and to full professor in 2025. His research continues to focus on the efficient conversion of biomass resources, green catalysis, and the preparation of sustainable chemicals.

Announced by School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering