Bio-refineries

Pyrrolidones fit well into the bio-refinery concept since they may be produced in a scheme beginning with the fermentation of a portion of the bio-refineiy s sugar product into succinate. Pyrrolidones are a class of industrially important chemicals with a variety of uses including polymer intermediates, cleaners, and green solvents which can replace hazardous chlorinated compounds. 

Green Star Products to construct total bio-refineries. 2006(July) pp. 5-6. 

Pyrolysis involves the use of heat to decompose biomass into its components. This could result in bio-refineries where biomass is converted into many different useful products. The biomass is dried and heated, the coproducts are removed and hydrogen is produced using steam reforming. 

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. 

C. Schaverien, Presentation of Shell Global Solutions at the 1st International Bio-refinery Workshop organized by the EU and US-DOE, Washington, DC July 20-21, 2005 (2005). 

Catalysis is a core technology of the current fossil fuel based economy. Over 90% of industrial chemical processes involve catalytic steps and, also, several processes in current refineries are catalytic ones. Without continuous progress and innovation in catalysis, the current pervasive oil-based economy is not possible. Similarly, catalysis technology will also have a key role in the transition to a biobased economy. The possibility of realizing this transition and to develop effective bio-refineries will depend on the progress made in developing new catalytic processes and concepts. 

The development and improvement of biological processes will depend on continuing research to elucidate fundamental biological principles. Future fundamental work on microbial systems related to bio-refinery should include ... 

Sanders, J., Scott, E., Weusthuis, R. and Mooibroek, H. 2007. Bio-Refinery as the Bio-Inspired Process to Bulk Chemicals. Macromol. Biosci., 7, 105-117. 

Hence, ethanol, like hydrogen, is no near-term panacea. In the long term, however, biomass-to-energy production could be exceedingly efficient with bio-refineries that produce multiple products. Lee Lynd, professor of engineering at Dartmouth College, described one such future bio-refinery where cellulosic ethanol undergoes a chemical pretreatment and then fermentation... 

Sanders J, Scott E, Weusthuis R, Mooibroek H. Bio-refinery as the bio-inspired process to bulk chemicals. Macromol Biosci. 2007 7 105-17. 

Fitzpatrick, S. W., The Biofine technology A bio-refinery concept based on thermochemical conversion of cel-lulosic biomass. Feedstocks for the Future Renewables for the Production of Chemicals and Materials, 2006, 921,271-287. 

Although still limited, there is also some interest in using biomass-derived raw materials (bio-ethanol, glycerine) in ammoxidation processes. These processes could be of value only in the context of valorization of side streams in bio-refinery plants. However, owing to the growing interest in the latter, it may be expected that some opportunities will arise for the ammoxidation of biomass-derived side-products in the near future. 

DOR 06] Dornburn V., Faau A., Patel M, et al., Economics and GHG emission reduction of a PLA bio-refinery system-combining bottom-up analysis with price elasticity effects . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 46, pp. 377-409,2006. 

Besides utilization for food and feed, fats and oils are one backbone for green industrial chemistry and key components of bio-refinery concepts. Vegetable oils and their by-products, cysts, shells, hulls and parings as well as waste and... 

Kondo A, Ishii J, Hara KY, Hasunuma T, Matsuda F. (2013). Development of microbial cell factories for bio-refinery through synthetic bioengineering, J Biotechnol, 163, 204—216. 

PL A and LA-based polymers are undoubtedly at the forefront of bio-based polymer innovation, and full-scale production of PLA is expected to contribute to the construction of a bio-refinery society. Integration of knowledge described in this chapter is expected. 

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