Chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass: opportunities, perspectives, and potential of biorefinery systems

Abstract

Most of the chemical products used today in our society originate from fossil sources through refi nery operations. The continual price increase of fossil resources, their uncertain availability, and the environmental concerns of their exploitation have led to a demand for the elaboration of alternative chemical production patterns based on renewable sources. Besides fossils, the only resource available for producing chemicals is biomass, and the establishment of biorefi nery complexes is increasingly perceived as a promising alternative to oil refi neries. This work is a position paper that provides an insight in the emerging biorefi nery concept, with special focus on the opportunities, perspectives, and potential regarding the use of lignocellulosic biomass as raw material in the preparation of platform chemicals needed to meet the existing demand. Results show that replacing fossil resources with wood requires large amounts of biomass and has several technological barriers that are still far from being overcome. This paper identifi es the key reactions where major effi ciency improvements and research efforts are needed (dehydration, fermentation, hydrogenation, etc.), as well as the possibilities when it comes to enhancing biomass conversion performances through the synthesis of new platform chemicals, with higher oxygen content, so as to accommodate the original biomass composition.

Unpacking resource mobilisation by incumbents for biorefineries: the role of micro-level factors for technological innovation system weaknesses

“…lignin-concrete mixes), viscose for clothing, or ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical industry; while making more efficient use of the heat in the production process. As such, biorefining allows for the production of both high-value low-volume and low-value high-volume products (Kamm et al 2006;Ragauskas et al 2006;Cherubini and Strømman 2011).…”

Responses in chemical traits and biomass allocation of Arundo donax L. to deficit resources in the establishment year

“…Given the complex composition of lignocellulosic biomass, a wide spectrum of reactive platform chemicals are proposed as an alternative to petroleum-derived chemicals, and the biorefineries allowed are wider than petroleum refineries (Cherubini and Strømman, 2011). For example, xylose is a major source of pentosans for the furfural-based industry, used for a wide range of applications in oil refining, plastics, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries (Mamman et al, 2008).…”

Review on Catalytic Cleavage of C–C Inter-unit Linkages in Lignin Model Compounds: Towards Lignin Depolymerisation

“…1) [7]. Until now, valorisation of both polysaccharides cellulose and hemicellulose have been extensively studied and successfully practised in the industrial production of biofuel (bioethanol, biohydrogen and biogas) [9] and bio-based chemicals and material (such as biopolymers) [10][11][12][13].…”

“…It is the only large volume renewable source of aromatics or platform chemicals [BTX (benzene, toluene and xylene), phenols, and aliphatic fractions (C1-3)]. Bulk chemicals can be produced from these sustainably produced BTX without changing the current processes and technologies [7,13,15]. Economically, converting lignin into fully deoxygenated BTX may not be highly desirable because in certain processes BTX are again oxidised.…”