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Biorefinery models - Lignocellulosic biorefinery

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Publication date: 25/04/2016 Last update: 25/04/2016 ABOUT THE SERIES OF POSTS “BIOREFINERY MODELS” This post belongs to a series called “ Biorefinery Models ”. This series is devoted to briefly describe the models or concepts of advanced biorefineries which have emerged in the last few years and that are rising currently. These models are simplified representations which enable us to understand in a simple way the structure and characteristics of a general biorefinery type. Some of these models refer to the type of feedstock while other focus on the technologies involved. A biorefinery may resemble these models or be the result of variations and combinations of them. It should be noted that although these paradigms are very useful and instructive, they show limitations in describing and classifying complex systems with high level of integration. In order to define and describe a specific complex case, the blog recommends use the classification proposed by IEA Bioenerg...
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Levulinic acid biorefineries

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Publication date: 16/11/2015 Last update: 20/02/2016 Description 1,2 Levulinic acid (also known as 4-oxopentanoic acid or γ-ketovaleric acid) is an organic compound with chemical formula C 5 H 8 O 3 . It is a white crystalline solid soluble in water and polar organic solvents. It contains ketone and a carboxylic group whose presence results in interesting reactivity patterns. It is one of the more recognized Biobased Chemical Building Blocks , a starting material for a wide number of compounds (see Applications below). In fact, it was recognized by the US DoE as one of the top biobased platform chemicals of the future and it can successfully address many performance-related issues attributed to petroleum-based chemicals and materials. Process technologies 1,3,4,5 The controlled degradation of C6-sugars by acids is the most widely used approach to prepare levulinic acid from lignocellulosic biomass. Other methods have also been studied, for instance, the hydroly...
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Fotobiorreactores

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El cultivo de microalgas no es algo novedoso, muchos de los métodos y conceptos que se usan hoy en día fueron desarrollados a finales del siglo XIX y principios de la pasada centuria. En décadas posteriores, se han ido refinando por la intervención de varias disciplinas que han trabajado de manera conjunta: biología, ingeniería de procesos, matemáticas y física. En los últimos 30 años, la industria biotecnológica de las microalgas ha crecido y se ha diversificado de manera significativa. Sin embargo, las aplicaciones comerciales existentes, todavía se hallan limitadas a comercios de bajo volumen y gran valor añadido como el de los suplementos alimenticios o el de los extractos (por ejemplo, el beta-caroteno). De acuerdo con un informe de IEA Bioenergy del 2010, la cantidad de biomasa algal producida comercialmente estaba en el entorno de las 9.000 toneladas. 1,2,3,4 Actualmente, el interés creciente que despiertan el empleo de las microalgas en la obtención de biocombustibles y e...
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Biorefinery platforms – Lignin

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Versión en Español BIOREFINERY PLATFORMS Concept - Lignin is a natural amorphous polymer, which acts as the essential glue that gives plants their structural integrity. Nature produces lignin by the enzymatic dehydrogenative polymerization of coniferyl alcohol (common in softwoods), syringyl alcohol (common in hardwoods) and coumaryl alcohol (common in grasses). - Of the three major natural polymers that make up ordinary plants (cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose), lignin is the second most abundant fraction behind cellulose. - Lignin is based on aromatic units. The structure of lignin is complex and changes according to biomass source. It is composed of phenylpropenyl (C9) randomly branched units. The phenylpropenyl building blocks, guaiacols and syringols, are connected through carbon-carbon and carbon-oxygen (ether) bonds. Trifunctionally linked units provide numerous branching sites and alternate ring units. - Currently, most lignin on the market is a by-product from the pulp an...
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Biorefinery platforms – Sugars

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Versión en Español BIOREFINERY PLATFORMS Concept - The sugar platform is defined as any combination of C5 (5 carbon atoms; xylose, pentose and ribose are the most common pentose sugars), C6 (6 carbon atoms; glucose, fructose and galactose are the most common hexose sugars) and/or C12 sugars (molecules containing two hexose sugar units) that exists within a pathway from biomass feedstock towards final biobased products. - These simple sugars are reactive molecules that can be converted biologically or chemically into fuels, chemicals, materials. food and animal feed. - Larger molecules such as oligosaccharides and polysaccharides are not included within the sugar platform. - The traditional processes are based on utilizing sucrose (composed of glucose and fructose) derived from sugar crops (sugar beet or sugar cane) or glucose obtained after hydrolysis of starch (founded in wheat, corn barley, rye, triticale…). - In advanced biorefineries, utilizing lignocellulosic biomass as feedst...
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