Material balance studies for the conversion of sorghum stover to bioethanol

The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol involves three major unit operations such as pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation. Each unit operation involves processing of biomass with changes in its structure, and release of fermentable and other sugars and lignin degrading compounds. The evaluation of biomass conversion processes through material balance is fundamentally crucial in its commercialization. This gives an idea about the transfer of biomass from one phase to another and hence eventually of the efficiency of the total process. In the present study, material balance has been evaluated in each unit operations for sorghum biomass to ethanol conversion. An account of carbohydrates in the native as well as pretreated sorghum biomass, the release of fermentable sugars and the conversion of sugars to ethanol was maintained and analysed. Ethanol yield of 91.94 g per kg sorghum was achieved without any detoxification and washing of pretreated biomass after mild acid pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation.     

Should straw/stover be turned into syndiesel or ethanol?

Straw and corn stover can be used to produce ethanol by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, or syndiesel by oxygen gasification and Fischer Tropsch (FT) reaction. FT has a higher processing cost and a higher energy yield of liquid transportation fuel. We analyze the cost of produced liquid fuel as a function of the field cost of biomass. At 80 $ t^?1 (dry basis) a crossover point is reached. Below this value, the cost of producing energy as ethanol is lower; above this value, FT syndiesel is lower. However, the crossover point occurs at a very high field cost of biomass, more than 5.50 $ GJ^?1, and ethanol plants are less capital intense than FT and hence have a smaller economic size. For both reasons ethanol is likely to be the preferred processing alternative.     

A techno-economic comparison between two technologies for bioethanol production from lignocellulose

The conversion of biomass into biofuels can reduce the strategic vulnerability of petroleum-based transportation systems. Bioethanol has received considerable attention over the last years as a fuel extender or even as a neat liquid fuel. Lignocellulosic materials are very attractive substrates for the production of bioethanol because of their low cost and their great potential availability. Two different process alternatives (i.e. the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation process and the gasification and fermentation process) for the production of fuel ethanol from lignocellulosic feedstock are considered and analysed. After a rigorous mass and energy balance, design optimisation is carried out. Both processes are assessed in terms of ethanol yield and power generation as well as from a financial point of view. A sensitivity analysis on critical parameters of the processes' productivity and profitability is performed.     

Combined production of second-generation biofuels and electricity from sugarcane residues

This paper describes a preliminary analysis of two technological routes (based on hydrolysis and on gasification + Fischer–Tropsch conversion process) of biofuels production from cellulosic materials. In this paper it was considered the integration of the two alternative routes to a conventional distillery of ethanol production based on fermentation of sugarcane juice. Sugarcane bagasse is the biomass considered as input in both second-generation routes. Results show that the integration of gasification + FT process to a conventional distillery is slightly more efficient (from an energetic point of view) and also offers the advantage of products diversification (ethanol from the conventional plant, plus diesel, gasoline and more surplus electricity regarding the hydrolysis route). Considering typical Brazilian conditions, at this stage it is not possible to foresee any significant advantage of any of the alternatives, but potentially the gasification route would have an advantage regarding avoided GHG emissions depending on the emission factor of the electric sector in which cogeneration units will be installed.     

Biomass-derived syngas production via gasification process and its catalytic conversion into fuels by Fischer Tropsch synthesis: A review

The Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis has been investigated over decades as an alternative route to obtain synthetic fuels from synthesis gas. FT is a high-performance synthesis based on metallic catalysis, mainly using ruthenium, cobalt and iron catalysts, which converts syngas in hydrocarbons and chemical precursors. This work presents a review on the aspects of the syngas production from biomass gasification and its subsequent conversion into fuels through the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The usage of biomass, including lignocellulosic residues, as a raw material in the gasification process. Biosyngas is highlighted as a synthetic fuel source to replace nonrenewable, conventional fossil fuels. Lignocellulosic material must be considered a low-cost feedstock to the liquid biofuel production on a large scale. Studies on syngas cleaning to attain the purity required by the FT process is revised. Recent understanding of reaction kinetics and thermodynamics has contributed to increasing the FT performance and economic viability. This paper includes also the debate on main catalysts, industrial process requirements, and chemical reaction kinetics and mechanisms of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis.     

A comprehensive review on lignocellulosic biomass biorefinery for sustainable biofuel production

The increasingly severe environmental pollution and energy shortage issues have demanded the production of renewable and sustainable biofuels to replace conventional fossil fuels. Lignocellulosic (LC) biomass as an abundant feedstock for second-generation biofuel production can help overcome the shortcomings of first-generation biofuels related to the “food versus fuel” debate and feedstock availability. Embracing the “circular bioeconomy” concept, an integrated biorefinery platform of LC biomass can be performed by employing different conversion technologies to obtain multiple valuable products. This review provides an overview of the principles and applications of thermochemical processes (pyrolysis, torrefaction, hydrothermal liquefaction, and gasification) and biochemical processes (pretreatment technologies, enzyme hydrolysis, biochemical conversion processes) involved in LC biomass biorefinery for potential biofuel applications. The engineering perspective of LC biofuel production on separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF), and consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) were also discussed.     

Identification of potential fermentation inhibitors in conversion of hybrid poplar hydrolyzate to ethanol

In the production of automobile fuel ethanol from biomass by dilute acid hydrolysis/fermentation process, degradation products from the hydrolysis substantially inhibit the bioconversion of sugar to ethanol. Majority of these inhibitors have not been previously identified due to the complexity of biomass hydrolyzate. This paper presents an analytical procedure for identification of biomass degradation products, which entails flash evaporation, anion exchange, chloroform and ethyl acetate extraction, HPLC and GC-MS analyses. More than 35 potential inhibitors to S. cerevisiae fermentation in dilute nitric acid hydrolyzates of hybrid poplar were identified by correlating the fermentability of the anion exchange treated and untreated hydrolyzate samples with their chemical compositions, and by chemical analysis of the regeneration eluate from the ion exchange resin saturated by the hydrolyzate.     

Systematic analysis of biomass derived fuels for fuel cells

As the demand for energy continuously increases, alternatives to fossil resources must be found to both prevent fossil source depletion and decrease overall environmental impact. One solution is increasing contributions from renewable, biological feedstock, and from wastes. This paper presents an analysis of the current methods of biomass conversion, to extract biofuels and biologically produced gases to then be used in fuel cells. Pathways for converting biomass feedstock into fuel cell fuels selected here were anaerobic digestion, metabolic processing, fermentation, gasification, and supercritical water gasification, which were compared to natural gas and fossil hydrogen reference cases. These thermochemical and biological conversion pathways can also make use of residues from agriculture, forestry, or some household and industry wastes, producing hydrogen and hydrogen-rich gases. Solid oxide fuel cells were also found to be the preferred technology for such bio-derived fuel gases, due to their wide range of fuel options, wide scalability from single kW to multi 100 kW, and high efficiency.     

我国生物质能源现代化应用前景展望(二)——生物质制备液体燃料的转化途径

利用可再生生物质资源转化制备液体燃料已成为全球关注的热点。常见的生物质能源原料主要有草本植物、木本植物、微藻和脂肪类生物质资源,丰富的生物质资源为生物质液体燃料的生产提供了广泛的原料来源,也为生物质能源的多样性发展提供了坚实的物质基础。不同的生物质原料种类和转化方式可生产出性能各异的多种液体燃料,主要包括醇类燃料(乙醇、丁醇等)、烃类燃料和生物柴油等,由此构建出生物质转化制备液体燃料的转化途径网络。醇类燃料的生物质转化途径主要包括生物质直接发酵、生物质合成气发酵、生物质合成气化学合成等;烃类燃料的生物质转化途径主要有生物质液化加氢、微藻热化学途径、生物质合成气费托合成、生物质发酵脂肪酸加氢及油脂类加氢途径等;生物柴油的转化途径主要有油脂酯交换和微藻萃取酯交换。在这些液体燃料的转化途径中,只有生物质发酵制乙醇途径和油脂酯交换途径基本实现了商业化应用,其他大部分转化途径仍处于开发阶段。     

Comparison of four different chemical pretreatments of corn stover for enhancing enzymatic digestibility

Four commonly used chemical pretreatment processes based on dilute acid, lime, aqueous ammonia steeping followed by dilute acid hydrolysis, and sodium hydroxide, were evaluated to provide comparative performance data. An obverse correlation between lignin removal and enzymatic digestibility of pretreated corn stover was observed. Compared with other three pretreatments, pretreatment of corn stover with 2% NaOH substantially increased the lignin removal and enhanced the accessibility and digestibility of cellulose. The hydrolysis yield of NaOH-pretreated corn stover reached 81.2% by 48 h at 8.0% substrate concentration and cellulase dosage of 20 FPU g⁻¹ substrate. Chemical analysis showed that the enzymatic hydrolysate from NaOH-pretreated corn stover contained higher content of fermentable sugars and less inhibitors, which is suitable for subsequent fermentation process to produce ethanol. The research results are meaningful in bioconversion and utilization of renewable lignocellulosic biomass.     

A multi-objective superstructure optimization approach to biofeedstocks-to-biofuels systems design

This paper describes a biofeedstock-to-biofuel superstructure (BBSS) and a multi-objective optimization scheme to suggest processing paths for a given biofeedstock. The BBSS uses feedstock compositional data to estimate the mass balance for each of the seventeen production paths in the four categories of transesterification to biodiesel, hydrolysis fermentation to ethanol, gasification to syngas, fast pyrolysis and catalytic upgrading to liquid hydrocarbons, and anaerobic digestion to biogas. An ideal biofuel production process would have low cost, low carbon emissions, and high energy recovery from the feedstock. These three objectives are used in a multi-objective network flow optimization of the BBSS. In order to make biofuels feasible, no part of an energy crop/plant should go to waste, so the optimization assigns a combination of processes to treat different fractions of the feedstock. The results of the optimization for three representative biofeedstocks, rapeseeds, corn, and switchgrass, are discussed in detail with emphasis on how the importance assigned to a given objective impacts the optimal solution. Optimization results indicate that switchgrass should be treated with gasification or anaerobic digestion rather than ethanol fermentation. Rapeseed should be processed using transesterification though the results were too sensitive to make a distinction between different transesterification methods. Results for corn grain confirm that fermentation is probably the best processing method and suggest using anaerobic digestion as treatment for the non-starch fraction.     

石油炼厂加工纤维素/木质纤维素生物质原料的前景

生物质热解与生物油改质、生物质气化与合成气费-托转化工艺是正在研究开发的第二代生物燃料技术,前者利用快速热解工艺对生物质进行热解或热加氢改质生成热解油;后者用生物质直接合成或先转化为生物油后再生成合成气,合成气经改质和转化生产费-托合成烃。许多石油公司都在以纤维素/木质纤维素为原料,研究开发在石油炼厂内对生物质原料进行后续加工和应用的相关技术。在石油炼厂中引入生物质原料,其挑战是要找到源自非食用生物质或生物质废弃物的原料,而且这些原料应易于运输并易于在炼厂中进行处理,同时应尽可能使用现有的工艺和装置。虽然石油炼厂加工生物质原料尚存在一些问题,但近来开发势头十分强劲。从长远角度来看,任何能为炼厂提供原料,生命周期分析证明能减少CO2排放,并在经济上可行的技术均会在生物燃料开发竞争中成为赢家。     

城市生活垃圾能源利用探讨

报道了城市有机废弃物转化为能源的几种途径。在管式反应器内甘蔗渣裂解气化制煤气以及在高压釜内湿式裂解气化制煤气液体产品，可得到中值煤气。也研究了甘蔗渣二步法糖化和糖发酵，当ＰＨ为３．６，酵母浓度为１．３３％，乙醇产率可达理论值的６４．８６％。     

Lignocellulosic biomass gasification technology in China

With the critical worldwide energy shortage and global environment concern, lignocellulosic biomass is regarded as one of the potential renewable energy resources to substitute conventional fossil fuels. Among various thermo-chemical conversion technologies, gasification is now regarded as an advanced and efficient method. Based on the mechanism of biomass gasification, this paper outlines different types of gasifiers that have been developed in China. Air gasification technology has been employed in the rural areas or forestry/agricultural processing entities. Obviously, the product gas for cooking and heating can significantly upgrade the living standard of rural residents. The product gas for heating boiler and generating electricity benefits the forest or agricultural processing enterprises. For China’s sustainable development of energy and environment, multi-cogeneration of heat, electricity and liquid fuels together with chemical feedstock will be a potential direction for efficiently utilizing product gas from lignocellulosic biomass. This means oxygen (including oxygen-enriched air) gasification and steam gasification should be taken into more consideration.     

Construction and demolition lignocellulosic wastes to bioethanol

This work deals with conversion of four construction and demolition (C&D) lignocellulosic wastes including OSB, chipboard, plywood, and wallpaper to ethanol by separate enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF). Similar to other lignocelluloses, the wastes were resistant to the enzymatic hydrolysis, in which only up to 7% of their cellulose was hydrolyzed. Therefore, the lignocellulosic wastes were treated with phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide, or N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO), which resulted in improving the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis to 38.2–94.6% of the theoretical yield. The best performance was obtained after pretreatment by concentrated phosphoric acid, followed by NMMO. The pretreated and hydrolyzed C&D wastes were then successfully fermented by baker’s yeast to ethanol with 70.5–84.2% of the theoretical yields. The results indicate the possibility of producing 160 ml ethanol from each kg of the C&D wastes at the best conditions.     

Comparison of thermochemical conversion processes of biomass to hydrogen-rich gas mixtures

Hydrogen can be produced from biomass materials via thermochemical conversion processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, steam gasification, steam-reforming, and supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of biomass. In general, the total hydrogen-rich gaseous products increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature for the biomass sample. The aim of gasification is to obtain a synthesis gas (bio-syngas) including mainly H₂ and CO. Steam reforming is a method of producing hydrogen-rich gas from biomass. Hydrothermal gasification in supercritical water medium has become a promising technique to produce hydrogen from biomass with high efficiency. Hydrogen production by biomass gasification in the supercritical water (SCW) is a promising technology for utilizing wet biomass. The effect of initial moisture content of biomass on the yields of hydrogen is good.     

Technology for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol

Current trends in production of fuel ethanol from lignocellulosic materials are reviewed. Particular emphasis has been laid on the microbial synthesis of cellulases, enzymatic hydrolysis, pretreatment of lignocellulosics, and their simultaneous saccharification and fermentation to ethyl alcohol. Some pilot-scale plants producing alcohol from biomass are also presented.     

Valorization of hydrothermal liquefaction aqueous phase: pathways towards commercial viability

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a thermochemical conversion technology that shows promising commercial potential for the production of biocrude oil from wet biomass. However, the inevitable production of the hydrothermal liquefaction aqueous phase (HTL-AP) acts as a double-edged sword: it is considered a waste stream that without additional treatment clouds the future scale-up prospects of HTL technology; on the other hand, it also offers potential as an untapped nutrient and energy resource that could be valorized. As more researchers turn to liquefaction as a means of producing renewable fuel, there is a growing need to better understand HTL-AP from a variety of vantage points. Specifically, the HTL-AP chemical composition, conversion pathways, energy valorization potential, and the interconnection of HTL-AP conversion with biofuel production technology are particularly worthy of investigation. This paper extensively reviews the impact of HTL conditions and the feedstock composition on the energy and elemental distribution of process outputs with specific emphasis on the HTL-AP. Moreover, this paper also compares and contrasts the current state of value-added products separation along with biological (biomass cultivation, anaerobic fermentation, and bioelectrochemical systems) and thermochemical (gasification and HTL) pathways to valorize HTL-AP. Furthermore, life cycle analysis (LCA) and techno-economic assessments (TEA) are performed to appraise the environmental sustainability and economic implications of these different valorization techniques. Finally, perspectives and challenges are presented and the integration approaches of HTL-AP valorization pathways with HTL and biorefining are explored.     

木质纤维素酶水解分形动力学的研究进展

酶水解作为发酵法生产燃料乙醇的关键步骤之一,其高效的转化过程对后续糖发酵至关重要,酶水解动力学研究可为高效转化机理的研究提供理论支持。但纤维素酶水解是一个复杂的多相异质反应过程,很难用简单的动力学模型进行表征。由于酶分子表面具有分形特性,其与分形动力学具有局部相似性,因此,分形理论可为木质纤维素酶水解的复杂动力学研究提供理论基础。从纤维乙醇生产工艺出发,在分析木质纤维素酶水解机理及影响酶解效率主要因素的基础上,总结了国内外分形动力学目前用于木质纤维素类生物质酶水解过程的主要动力学模型研究进展,并对其发展趋势和应用前景进行了展望。