Techno-Economic Assessment of Biomass-Based Integrated Biorefinery for Energy and Value-Added Product

Fungal‐Based Biorefinery: From Renewable Resources to Organic Acids

“…About 181 of these operating biorefineries belong to the “first‐generation” (1G) which employed sugar and starch‐containing feedstocks, and only 43 biorefineries are “second‐generation” (2G) biorefineries that work with lignocellulosic feedstock 277–279. Although LCBs are widely available, some challenges might be addressed to the supply and logistics 277, 280. Particularly, lignocellulosic feedstocks are subject to quality and quantity variability: since biorefineries operate all over the year, it is of great importance to ensure a continuous supply 277, 280, 281.…”

“…Although LCBs are widely available, some challenges might be addressed to the supply and logistics 277, 280. Particularly, lignocellulosic feedstocks are subject to quality and quantity variability: since biorefineries operate all over the year, it is of great importance to ensure a continuous supply 277, 280, 281.…”

“…After harvesting, LCBs undergo compaction processes with the aim to homogenize the material in terms of sizes and weights 277. This step contributes to an efficient transportation and storage operation 277, 280. To overcome the challenges in the whole supply chain, the development of an integrated and centralized biorefinery facility represents a successful strategy 277, 282–284.…”

“…With regard to the pretreatment, several technologies have been developed 278. The choice of the pretreatment should take into consideration the efficacy, the scalability, the costs, and the environmental impact 277, 280. High energy requirement, large‐scale feasibility, and formation of inhibitors affect the pretreatment costs as well as the whole conversion process 280.…”

“…The choice of the pretreatment should take into consideration the efficacy, the scalability, the costs, and the environmental impact 277, 280. High energy requirement, large‐scale feasibility, and formation of inhibitors affect the pretreatment costs as well as the whole conversion process 280. For instance, the formation of inhibitors directly influence the fermentation step, as these can inhibit the growth of the selected microorganism 278.…”