Integrated biorefinery pretreatment

The remaining lignin that is separated from the sugar stream during the pretreatment process can be used for the production of heat and power, which is done very frequently at the moment nevertheless, it could be used in the future as a source of various aromatic compounds. The effective utilization of all the three components would play a significant role in the economic viability of an integrated biorefinery. General characteristics of this type of biorefinery are listed in Table 1.3. 

Bozell J (2010) An evolution from pretreatment to fractionation will enable successful development of the integrated biorefinery. BioResources 5... 

Biorefineries New catalytic pretreatment of plant materials Valorization, pretreatment or disposal of co-products and wastes from biorefinery by catalytic treatments New and/or improved catalytic processes for chemicals production through the integration of the biorefinery concept and products into the existing chemical production chain New advanced catalytic solutions to reduce waste emissions (solid, air and, especially, water) New catalysts to selectively de-oxygenate products from biomass transformation Catalysts to selectively convert chemicals in complex multicomponent feedstocks New biomimetic catalysts able to operate under mild conditions Small catalytic pyrolysis process to produce stabilized oil for further processing in larger plants... 

A biorefinery is the integral upstream, midstream, and downstream processing of biomass into a range of produas. In the classification system lEA Bioenergy Task 42 (described in the next chapter) has differentiated between mechanical pretreatments (extraction, fractionation, separation), thermochemical conversions, chemical conversions, enzymatic conversions, and microbial (fermentation both aerobic, anaerobic) conversions. 

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