12.3.2.1 Vanillin Market

Vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) is widely used as flavoring and fragrance ingredient in food, cosmetic and as intermediate for the synthesis of several second generation fine chemicals (as veratraldehyde, protocatechualde — hyde, and respective acids) and pharmaceuticals (as papaverine, levodopa and cyclovalone) [91, 92].

The global market for vanillin and ethyl vanillin is estimated as high as 16 thousand t/year, with 2 thousand t coming from lignin-based vanillin. Production of pure natural vanillin is estimated around 40 t/year [93].Vanillin market is mainly constituted by large multinational holders in the field of flavor and fra­grance, chocolate and ice cream production, and synthesis of pharmaceuticals.

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4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 16.00 18.00 20.00 22.00 24.00 26.00 28.00 30.00 32.00

Time (min)

Fig. 12.5 Gas chromatogram with mass selective detector of monomeric products obtained from catalyzed hydrothermal degradation of organosolv beech lignin [69]. Courtesy of Dr. Detlef Schmiedl, Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, Germany

Today there are two commercial types of vanillin: (1) synthetic vanillin, derived from petrochemical guaiacol and glyoxylic acid or lignosulfonates and (2) vanilla extract obtained from the cured beans, or pods, of tropical Vanilla orchids [94, 95]. The raw material costs turn the natural vanillin more expensive than the synthetic counterpart [94]. Hence, synthetic vanillin became competitive and widely used.

There are only few significant manufacturers of vanillin in the world. Rhodia SA dominates the market producing vanillin by the cathecol-guaiacol route. Borregaard (Norway) is the second largest vanillin producer and the only current producer by oxidation of lignosulfonates. Despite the advantages of the cathecol — guaiacol route over alternatives, this process is dependent of petroleum-derived compounds, in opposition with the process by lignin oxidation.