Biorefining feedstocks

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). 

The above is followed by an overview of the assessment of the potential for future exploitation of plants for chemical feedstocks through developments in biotechnology and biorefining. 

The petrochemical industry typically works on a build-up approach where the base oil feedstock is fractionated, and complex materials are built up from simpler ones, producing a wide array of materials in the process, for a range of market outlets. The future exploitation of plant materials is seen in a somewhat similar fashion, although in contrast to the petrochemical industry, there will typically be an initial breaking up of more complex materials into simpler building blocks that can then be utilised and built on with the support of chemical, biochemical and catalytic processes, to produce more complex products synonymous with those produced by today s petrochemical industry. This whole crop approach to industrial use of plant-derived material is typically termed biorefining (see Chapter 1). 

Abstract The synthesis and chemistry of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), 5-(chloromethyl)furfural (CMF), and levulinic acid (LA), three carbohydrate-derived platform molecules produced by the chemical-catalytic processing of lignocellulosic biomass, is reviewed. Starting from the historical derivation of these molecules and progressing through modem approaches to their production from biomass feedstocks, this review will then survey their principal derivative chemistries, with particular attention to aspects of commercial relevance, and discuss the relative merits of each molecule in the future of biorefining. 

MoUer R, Toonen M, van Beilen J, Salentijn E, Clayton D. (2007). Crop Platforms for Cell Wall Biorefining Lignocellulose Feedstocks. CPL Press, Newbury, Berks, UK ISBN 9781872691138. 

Hess JR, Wright CT, Kenney KL. (2007). CeUulosic biomass feedstocks and logistics for ethanol production. Biofuels Bioprod Biorefin, 1, 181-190. 

Alen R. Structure and chemical composition of biomass feedstocks. In Alen R, editor. Biorefining forest resources. Helsinki (Finland) Paper Engineers Association/Paperi ja Puu 2011.p. 17—54. 

Dyer, J.M. and Mullen, R.T. (2008) Engineering plant oils as high-value industrial feedstocks for biorefining the need for underpinning cell biology research./ hpsfo/. Plant. 132,11-22... 

Biorefineries are large integrated facilities, which, by biorefining , provide a range of products including fuel, chemicals, and power from biobased feedstocks. Key to the successful development of biorefineries is the availabihty of technologies to derive maximum value from all constituents of a very high volume of biomass. 

Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biorefining. 2007-. Hoboken, NJ Wiley-Blackwell (1932-104X). Online Wiley Online Library (1932-1031). Topics include feedstock design and production. 

Biorefining is an effective process for the production of many value-added products from biomass feedstock, resulting in no or little waste. Therefore it can compete with the petrochemical industry, and it not only improves the economy of the nation but also lowers the overall environmental impact. The product cost and environmental impacts can be reduced because it s substantially, by combined production processes. 

Pinzi, S., Leiva-Candia, D., et al., 2014. Latest trends in feedstocks for biodiesel production. Biofuels Bioproducts Biorefining-Biofpr 8 (1), 126—143. 

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