Biorefining Monthly Update – 2017/09

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Bioeconomy is a megatrend. Several news on biorefining are popping up all over the world every week. Many interesting announcements and innovations cannot be covered by my Blog posts. In the light of this, I have decided to start a new monthly/fortnightly service including short pieces of news and brief outlines focused on biorefineries and innovations in green chemical engineering. The possibilities of the Blogspot platform are limited but I will try to draw maximum benefit from them. Let us begin with the first issue.


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NEWS IN BRIEF

Södra will invest more than SEK 100 million (approximately 10,4 M€) in the production of biomethanol from forest raw material. The project will commence in autumn 2017 and is scheduled to be ready for operation by spring 2019.
PRESS RELEASE
Date of the press release
05/09/2017
Topics
COMMERCIAL BIOREFINERIES; FOREST BIOREFINERY; ADVANCED BIOFUELS; BIOMETHANOL; EUROPE.

FPInnovations publishes a post about the BELT project in the city of La Tuque (Quebec, Canada).
POST: The dawning of a next-generation biorefinery.
Date of the post
12/09/2017
Topics
COMMERCIAL BIOREFINERIES; FOREST BIOREFINERY; NORTH AMERICA.
Related information
Blog post: BELT and Neste to study the feasibility of producing renewable diesel from forest residues in La Tuque.

NRL signs a MoU with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for inclusive and sustainable bamboo supply chain development for its upcoming biorefinery at Numaligarh (Assam, India).
PRESS RELEASE
Date of the press release
14/09/2017
Topics
COMMERCIAL BIOREFINERIES; ADVANCED BIOFUELS; CELLULOSIC ETHANOL; BAMBOO; ASIA.
Related information
Blog post: Chempolis and NRL to build advanced biorefinery in India.

Pöyry has been awarded with an assignment from KaiCell Fibers Ltd for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the company's biorefinery planned for Paltamo (Kainuu province in Finland).
PRESS RELEASE
Date of the press release
26/09/2017
Topics
COMMERCIAL BIOREFINERIES; FOREST BIOREFINERY; EUROPE.
Related information
Blog post: KaiCell Fibers starts the feasibility study of a bioproducts mill in Finland.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the selection of one additional project (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), for up to 3.5 M$, as part of the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO’s) Advanced Algal Systems Program funding opportunity announcement (FOA). For Algal Biomass Yield, Phase 2 (ABY2), in Fiscal Year 2016, DOE had awarded 15 M$ for three projects.
PRESS RELEASE
Date of the press release
26/09/2017
Topics
ALGAL BIOREFINERY; NORTH AMERICA.
Related information
Blog post: USA Energy Department will fund three projects to advance algal biofuels and bioproducts.

Figure 1. Aerial view of Södra Cell Mönsterås (extracted from Södra web page). The biomethanol production unit will be integrated in this factory.


BLOG POSTS

05/09/2017
The Spanish bioethanol sector according to the USDA FAS
07/09/2017
Rottneros to provide RenFuel with lignin for the production of Lignol
11/09/2017
Official opening of the pilot biorefinery of the CLaMber project in Puertollano
13/09/2017
Sugar Corporation plans the construction of a new bioethanol plant in Ethiopia
15/09/2017
Sinar Mas Cepsa starts up production at vegetable-based alcohols plant in Indonesia
18/09/2017
Enerkem begins production of cellulosic ethanol from MSW at its Edmonton biorefinery
20/09/2017
BIOPLAT and SusChem-España present the Handbook on Biorefineries in Spain
22/09/2017
US DOE selects eight projects to optimize integrated biorefinery operations
25/09/2017
InSciTe’s crude lignin oil is taking steps towards commercialisation
28/09/2017
Global Bioenergies demo plant in Leuna operates successfully its entire process


COMING EVENTS
Check the whole list here.

October
2 – 4 | Toronto (Canada) | 7th International Congress on Biofuels and Bioenergy.
2 – 6 | Barcelona (Spain) | Smart Chemistry Smart Future.
4 – 5 | Edinburgh (UK) | Biofuels International 2017.
5 – 6 | Rome (Italy) | Italian Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB 2017).
9 – 11 | Brussels (Belgium) | European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy (EFIB 2017).
16 – 17 | Seoul (Korea) | 4th World Congress on Renewable Biorefineries.
31/10 – 2/11 | Norwich (UK) | Total Food 2017.

November
21 – 22 | Brussels (Belgium) | European Bioenergy Future (EBF).
29 | Brussels (Belgium) | Final ERIFORE Workshop (Project ERIFORE: European Research Infrastructure for Circular Forest Bioeconomy).

December
4 – 5 | Sao Paulo (Brazil) | 8th International Conference on Biofuels, Bioenergy & Bioeconomy.
11 – 15 | Lyon (France) | 4th International Congress on Catalysis for Biorefineries (CatBior 2017).
14 – 15 | Helsinki (Finland) | 2017 Bioeconomy Investment Summit.

Popular Posts

Mini-plant for production of glucaric acid from glucose starts up successfully

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Recent news about one of the DOE’s 12 Top Biobased Molecules. Rennovia Inc. and Johnson Matthey Process Technologies announced on July 16 that they have successfully started-up a mini-plant for production of glucaric acid from glucose using jointly developed technology. In March 2014, these companies embarked on a collaboration to develop, demonstrate and commercialize catalytic process technologies for the production of bio-based glucaric acid and adipic acid. Under the collaboration, Rennovia and JM Process Technologies work together in processes based on Rennovia’s technology for the catalytic aerobic oxidation of glucose to glucaric acid and the catalytic hydrogenation of glucaric acid to adipic acid. The final goal of the collaboration is to license a package enabling commercial production of these chemical products. The successful operation of this mini-plant is a major milestone in the journey to achieve this goal. The facility is located at the Johnson Matthey Process ...
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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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Hidrotratamiento (HVO) – Conceptos, materias primas y especificaciones

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English version Sección: BIOCOMBUSTIBLES AVANZADOS Serie: HVO - Hidrotratamiento (HVO) – Conceptos, materias primas y especificaciones - Hidrotratamiento(HVO) – Ventajas sobre el biodiesel convencional y propiedades - Biorrefinerías de Aceites Vegetales Hidrotatados (HVO) – El auge del diésel renovable - Entradas: HVO                El acrónimo HVO significa en inglés “ Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils ” (“Aceites Vegetales Hidrotratados”) o ” Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils ” (“Aceites Vegetales Hidrogenados”). Clave del proceso: Tratamiento con hidrógeno. En el proceso de producción de HVO, el hidrógeno se usa para eliminar el oxígeno de los triglicéridos produciendo una mezcla de parafinas lineales, CO 2 y agua. Posteriormente, el producto de la primera etapa se isomeriza, siempre en presencia de hidrógeno, para ramificar las cadenas lineales con el propósito de mejorar las propieda...
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Biofuels from algae

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In my opinion, the production of biofuels and biobased chemicals from algae is one of the most fascinating topics in the sector of the biorefineries and it will be one of the niches of opportunity with highest potential in the medium and the long terms. This post pretend to be a very basic approach to the topic Algae-to-Biofuels through three general key points. Algae 1,2,3,4,5 Algae include a wide variety of photosynthetic organisms capable of transforming light, water and specific nutrients into products that can be used with commercial and industrial purposes. We can say that algae are sunlight-driven factories with potential to convert CO 2 into biofuels, high-value biochemical, food and feed. There are four algae cultivation technologies currently in use for commercial algae cultivation and proposed for algal biofuel production: extensive or open ponds, intensive or raceway ponds, closed photobioreactors in many designs and closed fermenter systems. Algal biof...
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Biobased acrylic acid

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Versión en Español Type of post: Fact sheet. Series: Biobased chemicals – Organic acids. Publication date: 05/05/2021. Last update: 05/05/2021. Description - Organic acid with 3 carbon atoms. - It is a clear, colourless, corrosive liquid with a characteristic acrid or tart smell. - Other names: prop-2-enoic acid. Applications - Formation of homopolymers or copolymers which are used in the manufacture of various adhesives, coatings, diapers, detergents, paints, plastics and textiles. The main use of crude acrylic acid is the generation of acrylate esters, followed by the production of polyacrylic acid, used mostly in superabsorbent polymers. - Chemical intermediate in multiple industrial processes. Conventional petrochemical route - Cracking of fossil naphtha to produce propylene / Oxidation of propylene. Main biobased routes - [3-HPA via] Fermentation of sugars to produce 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HPA) / Dehydration of 3-HPA. - [Biobased naphtha via] Cracking of biobased naphth...
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