Organic waste as a sustainable feedstock for platform chemicals

Coma, Marta; Martínez-Hernández, Elías; Abeln, Felix; Raikova, Sofia; Donnelly, Joseph; Arnot, Tom; Allen, Michael J.; Hồng, Đặng Diễm; Chuck, Christopher J.

doi:10.1039/c7fd00070g

Cited by 100 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Fermentation is the process of converting sugars to alcohol or acids by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, while anaerobic digestion is the process by which biomass is broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen to form biogas [49]. In terms of optimizing the biochemical conversion of lignocellulose, the priority mainly lies in development of efficient pretreatment technologies, along with cost-effective hydrolytic enzymes and improved strains of microorganisms [50].…”

Section: Lignocellulose Conversion Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moving towards the second generation of lignocellulosic biorefineries in the EU: Drivers, challenges, and opportunities

Hassan¹,

Williams²,

Jaiswal³

2019

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

253

100

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The EU aims to achieve a variety of ambitious climate change mitigation and sustainable development goals by 2030. To deliver on this aim, the European Commission (EC) launched the bioeconomy strategy in 2012. At the heart of this policy is the concept of the sustainable Biorefinery, which is based centrally on a cost-effective conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into bioenergy and bioproducts. The first generation of biorefineries was based on utilization of edible food crops, which raised a "food vs. fuel" debate and questionable sustainability issues. To overcome this, lignocellulosic feedstock options currently being pursued range from non-food crops to agroforestry residues and wastes. Notwithstanding this, advanced biorefining is still an emerging sector, with unanswered questions relating to the choice of feedstocks, cost-effective lignocellulosic pretreatment, and identification of viable end products that will lead to sustainable development of this industry. Therefore, this review aims to provide a critical update on the possible future directions of this sector, with an emphasis on its role in the future European bioeconomy, against a background of global developments.

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Section: Lignocellulose Conversion Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moving towards the second generation of lignocellulosic biorefineries in the EU: Drivers, challenges, and opportunities

Hassan¹,

Williams²,

Jaiswal³

2019

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

253

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…was possible, showing that a significant increase in biocrude production was obtained with increasing plastic loading. This included deposition of plastic fragments and secondary oxidation products into the crude but also the increase of biogenic carbon in that phase . The simultaneous processing of marine macroalgal biomass with marine plastics may provide a valuable environmental service within an HTL biorefinery paradigm.…”

Section: Technoeconomic and Life‐cycle Assessment (Lca) Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrothermal liquefaction of macroalgae for the production of renewable biofuels

Raikova

Allen

Chuck

2019

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

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In all biorefinery systems, excess water represents a key challenge, and its removal by drying is often a necessary and crucial pre-treatment. Second-generation feedstocks have often fallen at this hurdle, particularly microalgae-derived biomasses, which require extensive (and costly) dewatering. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) has gained increasing attention in recent years as a technology that uses the water present in the feedstock as a versatile reaction medium, which functions as a solvent, reactant, and catalyst for a cascade of organic reactions. Converting organic biomasses into oil, aqueous, solid, and gas fractions, the development of HTL provides the opportunity to exploit previously unsuitable biomasses in a versatile bio-refinery approach. Marine macroalgae (seaweeds) offer a sustainable source of renewable biomass, which require no land or freshwater to cultivate or harvest. With 70% of the surface of the planet covered in seawater and levels of eutrophication increasing, seaweeds are an underutilized resource with excellent potential for relieving the pressure on fossil resources. Hitherto, this exploitation has been hindered by a lack of suitable and economical processing tools. Here we review the potential for applying HTL to processing marine macroalgae and discuss the potential products and services that can be derived from this potential biorefinery system.

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“…Biomass can also be classified into nonedible and edible. The latter case, generally represented by the use of vegetable oils for biofuel production, has been criticized by competing with the food supply [7,8]. The most relevant classification of biomass for its integration into specific bio-based product chains is according to its major component, such as lignocellulose (lignin + cellulose + hemicellulose), carbohydrates, proteins and triglycerides [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%