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Journal ArticleDOI

Increasing the revenue from lignocellulosic biomass: Maximizing feedstock utilization

TL;DR: This work proposes a biomass conversion strategy that maximizes the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into high-value products that can be commercialized, providing the opportunity for successful translation to an economically viable commercial process.
Abstract: The production of renewable chemicals and biofuels must be cost- and performance- competitive with petroleum-derived equivalents to be widely accepted by markets and society We propose a biomass conversion strategy that maximizes the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass (up to 80% of the biomass to useful products) into high-value products that can be commercialized, providing the opportunity for successful translation to an economically viable commercial process Our fractionation method preserves the value of all three primary components: (i) cellulose, which is converted into dissolving pulp for fibers and chemicals production; (ii) hemicellulose, which is converted into furfural (a building block chemical); and (iii) lignin, which is converted into carbon products (carbon foam, fibers, or battery anodes), together producing revenues of more than $500 per dry metric ton of biomass Once de-risked, our technology can be extended to produce other renewable chemicals and biofuels
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
20 Mar 2020-Science
TL;DR: An integrated biorefinery that converts 78 weight % of birch into xylochemicals is developed that predicts an economically competitive production process, and a life-cycle assessment estimates a lower carbon dioxide footprint relative to that of fossil-based production.
Abstract: The profitability and sustainability of future biorefineries are dependent on efficient feedstock use. Therefore, it is essential to valorize lignin when using wood. We have developed an integrated biorefinery that converts 78 weight % (wt %) of birch into xylochemicals. Reductive catalytic fractionation of the wood produces a carbohydrate pulp amenable to bioethanol production and a lignin oil. After extraction of the lignin oil, the crude, unseparated mixture of phenolic monomers is catalytically funneled into 20 wt % of phenol and 9 wt % of propylene (on the basis of lignin weight) by gas-phase hydroprocessing and dealkylation; the residual phenolic oligomers (30 wt %) are used in printing ink as replacements for controversial para-nonylphenol. A techno-economic analysis predicts an economically competitive production process, and a life-cycle assessment estimates a lower carbon dioxide footprint relative to that of fossil-based production.

506 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An in-depth understanding of lignin properties and their influences on biomass conversion can provide clues to improve biomass utilization and significantly increase the economic viability of biorefinery.

357 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present technical and policy interventions, both on the supply side and on the demand side, that can achieve net zero industrial emissions in the required timeframe, and identify measures that, employed together, can achieve the goal.

339 citations


Cites background or methods from "Increasing the revenue from lignoce..."

  • ...However, it is typically less costly to use petroleum feedstocks, in part because today’s commercialized technology does not recover and allow for the use of all of the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in biomass [112]....

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  • ...Biomass can be fractionated into these components, which have an estimated value of $500 per metric ton of dry biomass when used as inputs to the chemicals industry [112]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The discovery of the hydrotropic properties of a recyclable aromatic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH), for potentially low-cost and efficient fractionation of wood through rapid and near-complete dissolution of lignin.
Abstract: We report the discovery of the hydrotropic properties of a recyclable aromatic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH), for potentially low-cost and efficient fractionation of wood through rapid and near-complete dissolution of lignin. Approximately 90% of poplar wood (NE222) lignin can be dissolved at 80°C in 20 min. Equivalent delignification using known hydrotropes, such as aromatic salts, can be achieved only at 150°C or higher for more than 10 hours or at 150°C for 2 hours with alkaline pulping. p-TsOH fractionated wood into two fractions: (i) a primarily cellulose-rich water-insoluble solid fraction that can be used for the production of high-value building blocks, such as dissolving pulp fibers, lignocellulosic nanomaterials, and/or sugars through subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis; and (ii) a spent acid liquor stream containing mainly dissolved lignin that can be easily precipitated as lignin nanoparticles by diluting the spent acid liquor to below the minimal hydrotrope concentration. Our nuclear magnetic resonance analyses of the dissolved lignin revealed that p-TsOH can depolymerize lignin via ether bond cleavage and can separate carbohydrate-free lignin from the wood. p-TsOH has a relatively low water solubility, which can facilitate efficient recovery using commercially proven crystallization technology by cooling the concentrated spent acid solution to ambient temperatures to achieve environmental sustainability through recycling of p-TsOH.

259 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It can be concluded that the huge variation of lignocellulosic materials makes it difficult to find a general process design for a biorefinery, and it is difficult to define “the best pretreatment” method.
Abstract: The implementation of biorefineries based on lignocellulosic materials as an alternative to fossil-based refineries calls for efficient methods for fractionation and recovery of the products. The focus for the biorefinery concept for utilisation of biomass has shifted, from design of more or less energy-driven biorefineries, to much more versatile facilities where chemicals and energy carriers can be produced. The sugar-based biorefinery platform requires pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials, which can be very recalcitrant, to improve further processing through enzymatic hydrolysis, and for other downstream unit operations. This review summarises the development in the field of pretreatment (and to some extent, of fractionation) of various lignocellulosic materials. The number of publications indicates that biomass pretreatment plays a very important role for the biorefinery concept to be realised in full scale. The traditional pretreatment methods, for example, steam pretreatment (explosion), organosolv and hydrothermal treatment are covered in the review. In addition, the rapidly increasing interest for chemical treatment employing ionic liquids and deep-eutectic solvents are discussed and reviewed. It can be concluded that the huge variation of lignocellulosic materials makes it difficult to find a general process design for a biorefinery. Therefore, it is difficult to define “the best pretreatment” method. In the end, this depends on the proposed application, and any recommendation of a suitable pretreatment method must be based on a thorough techno-economic evaluation.

252 citations


Cites background from "Increasing the revenue from lignoce..."

  • ...More recently, liquids such as γ-valerolactone [99, 100], methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) [101], tetrahydrofuran (THF) mixed with water [102] and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran [103] have been investigated....

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References
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Book
01 Jan 1956
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a chemical analysis of X-ray diffraction by Xray Spectrometry and phase-diagram Determination of single crystal structures and phase diagrams.
Abstract: 1. Properties of X-rays. 2. Geometry of Crystals. 3. Diffraction I: Directions of Diffracted Beams. 4. Diffraction II: Intensities of Diffracted Beams. 5. Diffraction III: Non-Ideal Samples. 6. Laure Photographs. 7. Powder Photographs. 8. Diffractometer and Spectrometer. 9. Orientation and Quality of Single Crystals. 10. Structure of Polycrystalline Aggregates. 11. Determination of Crystal Structure. 12. Precise Parameter Measurements. 13. Phase-Diagram Determination. 14. Order-Disorder Transformation. 15. Chemical Analysis of X-ray Diffraction. 16. Chemical Analysis by X-ray Spectrometry. 17. Measurements of Residual Stress. 18. Polymers. 19. Small Angle Scatters. 20. Transmission Electron Microscope.

17,428 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
27 Jan 2006-Science
TL;DR: The integration of agroenergy crops and biorefinery manufacturing technologies offers the potential for the development of sustainable biopower and biomaterials that will lead to a new manufacturing paradigm.
Abstract: Biomass represents an abundant carbon-neutral renewable resource for the production of bioenergy and biomaterials, and its enhanced use would address several societal needs. Advances in genetics, biotechnology, process chemistry, and engineering are leading to a new manufacturing concept for converting renewable biomass to valuable fuels and products, generally referred to as the biorefinery. The integration of agroenergy crops and biorefinery manufacturing technologies offers the potential for the development of sustainable biopower and biomaterials that will lead to a new manufacturing paradigm.

5,344 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of catalytic strategies to produce bio-fuels from aqueous solutions of carbohydrates, which are isolated through biomass pretreatment and hydrolysis is presented in this paper.

2,008 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
10 Aug 2012-Science
TL;DR: The opportunities for diverting existing residual biomass—the by-products of present agricultural and food-processing streams—to this end are highlighted.
Abstract: Most of the carbon-based compounds currently manufactured by the chemical industry are derived from petroleum. The rising cost and dwindling supply of oil have been focusing attention on possible routes to making chemicals, fuels, and solvents from biomass instead. In this context, many recent studies have assessed the relative merits of applying different dedicated crops to chemical production. Here, we highlight the opportunities for diverting existing residual biomass--the by-products of present agricultural and food-processing streams--to this end.

1,693 citations

ReportDOI
01 Mar 2011
TL;DR: The conceptual design presented in this paper reports ethanol production economics as determined by 2012 conversion targets and 'nth-plant' project costs and financing for the biorefinery described here, processing 2,205 dry ton/day at 76% theoretical ethanol yield.
Abstract: This report describes one potential biochemical ethanol conversion process, conceptually based upon core conversion and process integration research at NREL. The overarching process design converts corn stover to ethanol by dilute-acid pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, and co-fermentation. Building on design reports published in 2002 and 1999, NREL, together with the subcontractor Harris Group Inc., performed a complete review of the process design and economic model for the biomass-to-ethanol process. This update reflects NREL's current vision of the biochemical ethanol process and includes the latest research in the conversion areas (pretreatment, conditioning, saccharification, and fermentation), optimizations in product recovery, and our latest understanding of the ethanol plant's back end (wastewater and utilities). The conceptual design presented here reports ethanol production economics as determined by 2012 conversion targets and 'nth-plant' project costs and financing. For the biorefinery described here, processing 2,205 dry ton/day at 76% theoretical ethanol yield (79 gal/dry ton), the ethanol selling price is $2.15/gal in 2007$.

1,220 citations


"Increasing the revenue from lignoce..." refers background or methods in this paper

  • ...06/kg of products (29)] or an advanced biofuel biorefinery [$1....

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  • ...Once the technology is de-risked and a lower IRR is acceptable, this approach can be used to produce fermentable sugars (31), bioethanol (29), advanced biofuels (27, 30), and other specialty chemicals, enabling the concept of an integrated renewable biorefinery based on the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass that is cost-competitive with a current petroleum refinery....

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