The role of renewable chemicals and biofuels in building a bioeconomy

Abstract

The emergence of lignocellulosic biorefineries (LBRs) over the past few decades has shown tremendous potential for the development of sustainable renewable resources. Lignocellulosic biorefineries not only meet energy needs but also mitigate environmental problems by replacing conventional petroleum sources. Round the year availability of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) with affordable price is a major factor in the development of biorefineries. It consists primarily of sugar polymers (cellulose and hemicellulose) and lignin, which can be used to produce second‐generation (2G) biofuels such as bioethanol, biohydrogen, biobutanol, and renewable chemicals like lactic acid, succinic acid, and 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of which is predicted to be 16.43% by 2025. Several multinational companies, such as Raizen, Du Pont, BASF AG, Cargill, Braskem, and others have embarked on bio‐based chemicals / biofuels production. However, biochemicals and even biofuels have not achieved the desired commercial goals due to a lack of feasibility and a lack of innovative techniques for bioprocessing or genetic engineering. Inappropriate feedstock logistics and lack of accurate life‐cycle analyses of processes / products were also major drawbacks in developing commercially viable technologies from LCB. In this paper, therefore, recent technological advancements in LBRs, the current bio‐renewable commercialization situation, and the intrinsic role of biorefinery in the circular bioeconomy have been elucidated. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Advanced Bioethanol Production: From Novel Raw Materials to Integrated Biorefineries

“…In this context, recent advances in biocatalysts and microbial strains applied in the conversion route through the use of tools such as high-throughput screening, metagenomics techniques, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology may enhance the potential for increased production and contribute to reach a more competitive product from an economic point of view [163,164]. At the same time, the utilization of such advanced techniques has permitted progress to be made in the production of bio-based products from lignocellulosic feedstocks that aim at substituting their fossil-fuel counterparts [165]. The vast number of compounds that can be derived from lignocellulosic biomass makes it difficult to present a succinct discussion on the possibilities for integration of ethanol production with other renewablebased chemicals.…”

Recent advances in bioethanol production from lignocelluloses: a comprehensive review with a focus on enzyme engineering and designer biocatalysts

“…Focusing on a single product or bioethanol may not be an economically viable option. A biorefinery may be designed in such a fashion to valorize each and every component of lignocelluloses into biofuels and biochemicals for sustainable development of circular bioeconomy (Chandel et al, 2020). Therefore, a major focus should be placed on the development of such kinds of systems to reduce production cost and improve production efficiency.…”

“…The ever-increasing demands for energy due to rapid increase of global population, industrialization, and geopolitical factors have called for the search for alternative and carbon neutral sources of energy (Souza et al, 2017;Chandel et al, 2020). For many years, the primary sources of energy have been non-renewable fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, and coal.…”

Recent Advances in Glycerol Catalytic Valorization: A Review

“…According to Figure 2, stabilization and a possible decline in biodiesel production are expected in the next decade, as stated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This trend would be a consequence of second and third generation biofuel development and industrial application, with products obtained from non-edible sources [8][9][10][11][12][13]. In any case, future biodiesel production depends on several factors, such as raw material availability, internal policies, markets, etc., in some cases leading to a local production rise against the international trend, becoming a stable crude glycerol source [13].…”