Bio-feedstocks

Figure 2.13 did not include all the biomass conversion processes discussed above. It only considered those that produce transportation fuels. The processes that convert bio-feedstock into biocrude or electricity could not be included because their products have a different value than the transportation fuels. Such a comparison can be attempted by displaying the total manufacturing cost of biobased products in a graph that shows typical relationships between the price of crude and that its derivatives, i.e., of fuel oil, transportation fuel and electricity. This has been done in Fig. 2.14 for the lignocellulose conversion processes. 

There are still a number of imponderables, such as the sustainability of the current high prices of conventional feedstock, and the availability of competitively-priced bio feedstock. However, it would certainly seem advisable for all incumbents to be investing in some biotechnology intelligence, if only to understand the developments. Alliances with companies with biotech expertise might also be wise. If biotechnology has the potential to become an 800-pound gorilla, say, five years down the track, it may be best to treat it with respect and courtesy now. 

In addition to this, related areas such as liquid CO2 and C02-expanded solvents should not be overlooked. Many additives and complex modifiers are being used to facilitate reactions in SCCO2 and perhaps the use of a small amount of organic solvent (perhaps from a bio-feedstock) could be justified in order to reduce the cost of a process and therefore lead to its uptake by industry. In addition to this, continued research into biphasic systems C02-water, C02-ionic liquids, CO2-PEG/surfactants and CC -solids (including heterogeneous catalysts) is needed to deliver pure products and reduced cost to future end-users of this technology. 

Ionic Liquids and Eutectic Mixtures Prepared from Bio-Feedstocks... 

Look at the production of hydrogen by fermentation and on the basis of biomass from waste or from dedicated crops. Estimate current and possibly reduced future costs of such a hydrogen production system, taking into account the cost of bio-feedstock, its transportation as well as the hydrogen-producing conversion equipment (cf. Chapter 2, section 2.1.5). 

Koschuh, W., Koller, M., Essl, R. and Kromus, S. (2012) Green Biorefinery - Chloroplast Rich Biomass (CRB) as alternative Bio Feedstock. 25th VH Yeast Conference, Hamburg, 2012. 

The environment friendly packaging plastics can be broadly divided into biopolymers and synthetic polymers derived finm bio feedstock as shown in Figure 5. Biopolymers are those polymers, which are directly obtained from plants and animals. Synthetic polymers are further subdivided into two categories based on the origin of the precursor. Precursors that are derived from renewable resources constitute one category, whereas precursors that do not originate finm bioresource form the other category. 

HMF is an important versatile sugar derivative and is a key intermediate between bio-based carbohydrate chemistry and petroleum based industrial organic chemistry (1, 2). The most coimnon feedstock for HMF is fructose and reactions are carried out in water-based solvent systems using acid catalysis (3,4). HMF is unstable in water at low pH and breaks down to form levulinic acid and formic acid, resulting in an expensive HMF recovery process. In strongly polar organic co-solvents, such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), levuhnic acid formation is reduced and HMF yields are improved (5). 

The BioTherm process of the company Dynamotive (Vancouver, Canada). The process is based on a stationary FB and the largest plant processes about 100 t/day of biomass. This unit is situated in Ontario (Canada) and its feedstock is woody waste. In this application, the obtained bio-oil is converted into electricity using an Orenda gas turbine (2.5 MWe). 

The Biolig process of the research center Karlsruhe FZK, Germany. Here, flash pyrolysis, with emphasis on straw as feedstock, is tested to produce a bio-oil-char slurry. The pyrolysis reactor compares to the ER reactor (Lurgi-Ruhrgas) by which sand as heat carrier is mixed and transported together with biomass in a double (twin) screw feeder. A novel unit is constructed with a biomass processing capacity of 12 t/day. 

Royal Dutch Shell has invested in cellulosic ethanol company Iogan and Germany s Choren Industries, which is building a demonstration bio-mass-to-liquids plant using wood feedstock. Royal Dutch Shell has also partnered with Codexis in exploring biomass energy production. 

The potential of combining a lower need for deoxygenation and a higher product value is illustrated in Fig. 2.15. It shows that the selective incorporation of oxygen into a hydrocarbon, as done in the petrochemical industry, is very expensive. In contrast, the bio-based alternative enjoys two advantages. Firstly, the feedstock is cheaper than crude oil, even on an energy and carbon base, as discussed above. Secondly, its selective deoxygenation has been proven to cheaper than the petrochemical route in a few cases, e.g., for ethanol and furfural. The same can be expected for other biomass derivates in the future. 

Converting renewable feedstocks into a mixture of products that can be used as such in the synthesis or formulation of end-products. This approach is widely used in food and feed industries where there is no requirement to prepare specific molecules from bio-resources but rather mixtures of triglycerides, carbohydrates and proteins. 

The present chapter discusses aspects, known by the authors, of (a) biomass as feedstock, (b) the concept of bio-refinery, (c) thermochemical routes from lignocellulosic biomass to fuels, and (d) the contribution of catalytic technology. The main focus will be on the catalytic conversion of fast pyrolysis oil into fuels with regard to problems encountered currently and the challenges for future research and development. 

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