Bioproducts biomass

Biomass technical Advisory Committee USA http //www.bioproducts-bioenergy. gov/pdfs/ BioVision 03 Web.pb. 

This chapter surveys different process options to convert terpenes, plant oils, carbohydrates and lignocellulosic materials into valuable chemicals and polymers. Three different strategies of conversion processes integrated in a biorefinery scheme are proposed from biomass to bioproducts via degraded molecules , from platform molecules to bioproducts , and from biomass to bioproducts via new synthesis routes . Selected examples representative of the three options are given. Attention is focused on conversions based on one-pot reactions involving one or several catalytic steps that could be used to replace conventional synthetic routes developed for hydrocarbons. 

A biorefinery maximizes the value derived from the complex biomass feedstock by (a) optimal use and valorization of feedstock, (b) optimization and integration of processes for better efficiency, and (c) optimization of inputs (water, energy, etc.) and waste recycling/treatment. Integrated production of bioproducts, especially for bulk chemicals, biofuels, biolubricants and polymers, can improve their competitiveness and eco-efficiency. However, although a few examples of biorefineries already exist (Chapters 3 and 6), many improvements are still needed to enhance the process [5] ... 

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (a) UAion for Bioenergy Biobased Products in The United States, October 2002 bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/pdfs/BioVision 03 Web.pdf. (b) Roadmap for Biomass Technologies in the United States, December 2002 bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/pdfs/FinalBiomassRoadmap.pdf... 

I serve on a congressionally created committee that advises the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture on biomass R D efforts. In 2002, the Biomass R D Technical Advisory Committee delivered its first annual report, which acknowledged, "Expanding the use of biomass for non-food and feed purposes will benefit farmers and rural areas only indirectly and modestly. A more significant development would occur if farmers themselves were able to produce the biofuels or bioproducts, either on the farm or as owners in a local production plant."6... 

Approximately 89 million metric t of organic chemicals and lubricants, the majority of which are fossil based, are produced annually in the United States. The development of new industrial bioproducts, for production in standalone facilities or biorefineries, has the potential to reduce our dependence on imported oil and improve energy security. Advances in biotechnology are enabling the optimization of feedstock composition and agronomic characteristics and the development of new and improved fermentation organisms for conversion of biomass to new end products or intermediates. This article reviews recent biotechnology efforts to develop new industrial bioproducts and improve renewable feedstocks and key market opportunities. 

Industrialbiobased products have enormous potential in the chemical and material industries. The diversity of biomass feedstocks (sugars, oils, protein, lignocellulosics), combined with the numerous biochemical and thermochemical conversion technologies, can provide a wealth of products that can be used in many applications. Targeted markets include the polymer, lubricant, solvent, adhesive, herbicide, and pharmaceutical markets. Industrial bioproducts have already penetrated some of these markets, but improved technologies promise new products that can compete with fossil-based products in both cost and performance. 

Biomass Research and Development Initiative. "Awardees for U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Integrated Biomass R D Solicitation," http //www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/pdfs/awardees.pdf (accessed October 11, 2003). 

The addition of microsalts and EDTA resulted in a biomass yield on sucrose (Yx/S) of 0.24 g/g and CMC-1/dry cell weight of 54.5, quite different from that determined for the nonsupplemented medium, 0.08 g/g and 79.2, respectively. In a way, these results suggest that the presence of oligo-elements stimulates cell growth rather than bioproduct synthesis. 

A major issue for biomass as a raw material for industrial product manufacture is variability. Questions of standardisation and specifications will therefore need to be addressed as new biofuels, biomaterials and bioproducts are introduced onto the market. Another major challenge associated with the use of biomass is yield. One approach to improve/modify the properties and/or yield of biomass is to use selective breeding and genetic engineering to develop plant strains that produce greater amounts of desirable feedstocks, chemicals or even compounds that the plant does not naturally produce (Fernando et al., 2006). This essentially transfers part of the biorefining to the plant (see Chapter 2 for some example of oils with modified fatty acid content). 

USDOE and USDA, Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply (2005). http //wwwl.eere. en-ergy.gov/biomass/pdfs/final billionton vision report2.pdf... 

USDA and USDOE Joint Report. 2005. A Billion-Ton Feed Stock Supply for Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry Technical Feasibility of Annually Supplying 1 BiUion Dry Tons of Biomass. Joint Report—U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Energy, February 2005. 

In biosynthesis, the cells, also referred to as the biomass, consume nutrients to grow and produce more cells and important products. Internally, a cel] uses its nutrients to produce energy and more cells. This transformation of nutrients to energy and bioproducts is accompEshed through a cell s use of a number of different enzymes (catalysts) in a series of reactions to produce metaboUc products. These products can either remain in the ceU (intracellular) or be secreted from the cells (extracellular). In the former case the cells must be lysed (raptured) and the product purified from the whole broth (reaction mixture). 

Processes for the bioproduction of ethanol from cellulosic materials have been studied extensively. Some of the process steps are specialized and beyond the scope of this chapter. However, there are many recent review articles dealing with some specific subjects. Basically, the processes consist of a number of steps. They are availability and collection of raw feedstock [20], size reduction, pretreatment, fractionation of biomass components, enzyme production [21, 22], saccharification, enzyme recycle [23, 24], pentose fermentation, improvement of pentose-fermenting biocatalyst, overcoming of product inhibition, overcoming inhibition by substrate-derived inhibitors, ethanol recovery [25], steam generation and recycling [26], waste treatment, and by-product utilization. 

---