Wood Waste Valorization Using Organosolv Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis: Experimental and Process Evaluation

Wood is a versatile resource within the circular economy, widely used across various applications. However, in the European Union, demand for wood continues to rise, leading to increased reliance on imports. The pulp and paper industry, closely linked to wood production, is also experiencing supply shortages. To address these challenges, this study explores the use of wood waste (WW) as an alternative feedstock for pulp and glucose production. WW was collected from a mechanical treatment plant in Perugia, Italy, and processed using the organosolv method. This approach yielded a cellulose pulp with improved quality compared to previous research, achieving a cellulose content of 79.33% and a cellulose recovery rate of 94.59%. The optimized pulp was then subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis, producing 20.66 g of glucose per 100 g of initial WW, corresponding to a glucose concentration of 44.08 g/L and a cellulose digestibility of 51.03%. Additionally, a simulation model of a pilot-scale process was developed using Aspen PLUS software, assuming an annual processing capacity of approximately 5500 t of wood waste—equivalent to the quantity managed annually by a local waste treatment company in Perugia. This study highlights the potential of wood waste as a sustainable raw material for pulp and glucose production, supporting circular economy goals and laying the groundwork for future scale-up investigations.