Ionic Liquids in Biomass Processing

The ionic liquids have emerged as new solvents and catalysts for processing biomass to value added chemicals and fuels. This review will present the recent developments in applications of ionic liquids in lignocellulosic biomass pretreatments, depolymerization, biodiesel synthesis, dehydration of carbohydrates to renewable feedstock chemicals as well as further transformations of biomass derived feedstocks such as furfural, 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid to value added chemicals. In addition, the recycling of ionic liquids used in biomass processing is also discussed in the review.     

High-Value Chemicals from Electrocatalytic Depolymerization of Lignin: Challenges and Opportunities

Lignocellulosic biomass is renewable and one of the most abundant sources for the production of high-value chemicals, materials, and fuels. It is of immense importance to develop new efficient technologies for the industrial production of chemicals by utilizing renewable resources. Lignocellulosic biomass can potentially replace fossil-based chemistries. The production of fuel and chemicals from lignin powered by renewable electricity under ambient temperatures and pressures enables a more sustainable way to obtain high-value chemicals. More specifically, in a sustainable biorefinery, it is essential to valorize lignin to enhance biomass transformation technology and increase the overall economy of the process. Strategies regarding electrocatalytic approaches as a way to valorize or depolymerize lignin have attracted significant interest from growing scientific communities over the recent decades. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the electrocatalytic methods for depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass with an emphasis on untargeted depolymerization as well as the selective and targeted mild synthesis of high-value chemicals. Electrocatalytic cleavage of model compounds and further electrochemical upgrading of bio-oils are discussed. Finally, some insights into current challenges and limitations associated with this approach are also summarized.     

Integrated chemo- and biocatalytic processes: a new fashion toward renewable chemicals production from lignocellulosic biomass

Concerns over climate change and environmental pollution resulting from petroleum refining has spurred the exploitation of green replacements for producing chemicals and fuels. Valorization of lignocellulosic biomass into chemicals represents a promising alternative to petroleum refining. Biological and chemical catalysis are two leading routes for lignocellulose variolization, but strategies relying simply on biological or chemical conversion have shown limitations. Integrating biocatalysts with chemocatalysts could leverage the inherent strengths of both while circumventing their respective disadvantages, benefiting product yield and selectivity, and reducing cost and waste generation. This review focuses on the coupled chemocatalytic and biocatalytic synthesis of renewable chemicals from polysaccharides and their derived platform chemicals. In addition, strategies for producing value-added products from lignin via integrated chemical depolymerization and biological conversion are highlighted. The techno-economics of integrating chemocatalysts and biocatalysts in producing chemicals in the context of biorefinery are also discussed. Finally, perspectives on designing integrated chemical and biological catalysis for renewable chemicals production are provided. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).     

生物质化学转化产品谱系及研究进展

生物质生物精炼是替代化石精炼维持社会和化学工业发展的必然趋势.未来生物精炼体系将采用平台精炼方式生产谱系产品,其精炼产品能同时满足社会对能源和化学品的需求.生物精炼主要采用生物转化和化学转化方式进行炼制,化学转化具有更高的可设计性和应用范围.甘油、3 -羟基丁内酯、乙酰丙酸、2,5-呋喃二甲酸、葡萄糖二酸及山梨醇是6种...     

Catalytic Processes for Biomass-Derived Platform Molecules Valorisation

Nowadays, biomass is an interesting raw material for chemical industry, and the valorisation of its derivatives becomes in a sustainable alternative against to the depletion of fossil sources necessary for the production of energy, fuels and chemicals. Different organic compounds, such as sugars, polyols, furanics, as well as several acids (i.e. levulinic acid, succinic acid, itaconic acid, 3-hydroxy-propionic acid, among others) can be obtained after a primary treatment of the lignocellulosic-type biomass. These bio-derived molecules can be used as “platform chemicals” for the synthesis of numerous chemical products (i.e. components and additives for fuels, solvents and paintings, new monomers for polymer industry, etc.). In this review, the possibilities of valorisation via novel catalytic processes of some of the most promising biomass(cellulose/hemicellulose)-derived intermediates and platform chemicals for obtaining both conventional and new high added-value chemicals for industry will be assessed, also including cascade-type (or “one-pot”) catalytic processes recently developed.

     

生物质能源转化技术与应用(Ⅶ) —— 植物原料水解制乙醇的技术与应用

生物质能源是惟一可再生,可替代化石能源转化气态、液态和固态燃料以及其他化工原料或者产品的碳资源。随着化石能源的枯竭和人类对全球环境问题的关注,生物质能源替代化石能源利用的研究和开发,已成为国内外众多学者研究和关注的热点。本系列讲座主要讲述以生物质资源为主要原料,通过不同途径转化为洁净的、高品位的气体、液体或固体燃料。本讲主要阐述了国内外纤维素生物质预处理的研究进展和酸水解工艺。并对一些工艺的优缺点进行了分析和比较,指出了纤维素生物质预处理和酸水解的研究方向。     

生物质热解制燃料油及化学品的工艺技术研究进展

从生物质热解制液体燃料油(生物油)的收率和品质两方面论述了生物质热解关键技术和热解制备液体燃料工艺。通过对比分析了传统的生物质快速热解关键技术———热解反应器、加料技术、气-固快速分离技术及热解蒸汽快速冷凝技术的研究现状、难点和不足,并提出了新型生物质快速热解关键技术———旋转筛板热解工艺。同时针对现行生物质热解制燃料油工艺存在的不足,对比分析了4种热解制取燃料油工艺,并提出了汽爆、固态发酵的生化转化与快速热解相结合制取液体燃料的方法。     

生物质能源转化技术与应用(Ⅳ)——生物质热解气化技术研究和应用

生物质能源是惟一可再生、可替代化石能源转换成气态、液态和固态燃料以及其他化工原料或者产品的碳资源。随着化石能源的枯竭和人类对全球性环境问题的关注,生物质能源替代化石能源利用的研究和开发,已成为国内外众多学者研究和关注的热点。本系列讲座主要讲述以生物质资源为主要原料,通过不同途径转化为洁净的、高品位的气体、液体或固体燃料。本讲主要对生物质的热解气化方式进行了介绍,着重介绍了生物质气化集中供气、供热、发电、合成液体燃料、制氢等技术方面的研究和应用现状,并指出了目前存在的主要问题,提出了我国在生物质气化领域的重点研究方向。     

聚3-羟基丁酸酯降解技术研究进展

综述了目前聚3-羟基丁酸酯（poly-3-hydroxybutyrate,PHB）的几种主要降解技术,包括热裂解、水解、溶剂降解和酶解等。重点介绍了各种降解技术的产物分布和反应机理,并对影响PHB热稳定性的主要因素进行了总结和讨论。各种技术的所需反应温度总体趋势为：热裂解>水解≥溶剂降解>酶解。PHB热解工艺简单,通常情况下PHB主要降解为巴豆酸和其低聚物,过高反应温度（>500℃）则使PHB分解为二氧化碳和丙烯。水解和溶剂降解都是以针对性地断开PHB酯键为出发点,以获得高产率的PHB单体（3-羟基丁酸、巴豆酸）或其酯类化合物（如巴豆酸甲酯）。与热解、水解和溶剂降解技术相比,酶解法限制因素较多且工艺成本高,需要新的技术突破。提出了两个需进一步重点研究的方向：①PHB催化热解脱羧制备高品位液体燃料;②直接转化富含PHB的微生物为高价值化学品。     

Low-cost small scale processing technologies for production applications in various environments—Mass produced factories

The requirements for chemical and food production technologies will change in the future as a result of shorter time to market and increasing market volatility. Especially the rising use of renewable resources will require the implementation of flexible and fast to install small-scale production technologies. The increasing number of necessary apparatuses and their distributed operation, however, will constitute major challenges, both economically and procedurally.The proposed solution to face the economic challenge is modularization and standardization. For food production, dewatering represents a key issue. Thus, biomass processing should first be divided into small-scale water separation steps and then into further large-scale processing steps. As dewatering usually happens thermally and heat exchangers often benefit from the economies of scale, heat supply and energy consumption or heat transfer with little capital investment are further issues. Therefore, temperature levels should be decreased and the use of solar heat increased. For the production of biofuels and chemicals from biomass, process integration and process simplification are proposed to improve the efficacy of production equipment and processes. Choosing raw materials with molecular structures, similar to the desired chemical building block, will lower the need for heat exchange and make small-scale manufacturing of fuels and chemicals possible.     

微结构反应器气固相催化过程强化的研究与工业化进展

轻烃的气固相催化转化与合成是重要的基础能源化工过程,其苛刻的反应条件与显著的热效应严重影响了反应器生产效率、过程能耗与排放。微结构催化反应器传递性能优越,可兼顾紧凑性与低压降,能在高反应通量下精确调控轻烃气固相催化转化与合成过程,适应日益增长的分布式生产需求。介绍了微结构催化反应器的制造并重点讨论了催化剂-反应器集成方式,以强吸热的甲烷蒸汽重整过程和强放热的甲烷化、乙烷氧化脱氢过程为例,综述了微结构反应器气固催化过程强化的研究与工业化进展,展望了新技术的未来发展方向。     

New methods for the one-pot processing of polysaccharide components (cellulose and hemicelluloses) of lignocellulose biomass into valuable products. Part 2: Biotechnological approaches to the conversion of polysaccharides and monosaccharides into the valuable industrial chemicals

Part 2 of the review discusses modern processes for biotechnological conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into the valuable chemicals. It also recognizes the new approaches toward the development of more efficient enzymes for the depolymerization of biomass and the properties of the microorganisms employed in the fermentation of the biomass-derived sugars. Various biotechnological approaches to the fermentation of the depolymerized biomass products are described, including SHF, SSF, NSSF, SSFF, SSCF, and CBP. It is demonstrated that that the main tendencies for development of the new technologies for biotechnological biomass processing are the application of genetic engineering, synthetic biology and reduction of the number of processing steps. Application of one-pot processing of lignocellulosic biomass is promising for development of the new and efficient manufacturing technologies for production of valuable chemicals.     

基于系统生物学和合成生物学的重要平台化学品生物制造的研究进展

基于生物质资源的平台化学品制造,是解决目前石化资源枯竭和环境问题的重要措施,对经济社会的可持续发展具有重要意义。本文主要介绍了系统生物学和合成生物学在有机酸(琥珀酸、富马酸、L-苹果酸、葡萄糖二酸、丙酮酸、苯丙酮酸、α-酮戊二酸)以及其他平台化学品(2,5-呋喃二甲酸)生物制造中的应用,并展望了生物制造在平台化学品生产中的未来发展方向。     

离子液体介质中纤维素资源转化研究进展

木质纤维素是地球上最丰富的可再生有机碳资源,将其高效转化为化学品或燃料,对缓解全球能源危机和解决环境污染问题具有重要意义。离子液体因对木质纤维素具有独特的溶解性能,近年来作为新型溶剂在生物质转化中获得广泛应用。综述了离子液体用于木质纤维素预处理及化学转化的最新研究进展,包括纤维素溶解、木质纤维素组分分离、纤维素水解制葡萄糖、六碳糖及纤维素催化转化制5-羟甲基糠醛以及碳水化合物的其他转化途径等,同时对基于离子液体平台的生物质转化技术存在的挑战、未来发展趋势及工业化前景进行了展望。     

Simulation, integration, and economic analysis of gas-to-liquid processes

Gas-to-liquid (GTL) involves the chemical conversion of natural gas into synthetic crude that can be upgraded and separated into different useful hydrocarbon fractions including liquid transportation fuels. Such technology can also be used to convert other abundant natural resources such as coal and biomass to fuels and value added chemicals (referred to as coal-to-liquid (CTL) and biomass-to-liquid (BTL)). A leading GTL technology is the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process. The objective of this work is to provide a techno-economic analysis of the GTL process and to identify optimization and integration opportunities for cost saving and reduction of energy usage while accounting for the environmental impact. First, a base-case flowsheet is synthesized to include the key processing steps of the plant. Then, a computer-aided process simulation is carried out to determine the key mass and energy flows, performance criteria, and equipment specifications. Next, energy and mass integration studies are performed to address the following items: (a) heating and cooling utilities, (b) combined heat and power (process cogeneration), (c) management of process water, (c) optimization of tail gas allocation, and (d) recovery of catalyst-supporting hydrocarbon solvents. Finally, these integration studies are conducted and the results are documented in terms of conserving energy and mass resources as well as providing economic impact. Finally, an economic analysis is undertaken to determine the plant capacity needed to achieve the break-even point and to estimate the return on investment for the base-case study.     

木质素解聚和液相催化降解研究进展

木质纤维生物质作为地球上最丰富的可再生资源, 不仅储量巨大而且在利用过程中具有碳平衡的显著优势, 已逐渐成为最具发展前景的可再生能源之一。木质纤维中的木质素是自然界最大且唯一的可再生芳香族化合物原料, 在生物质燃料转化, 尤其是解聚生产苯系化工产品等领域具有极为重要的作用和意义。本文在简述木质素化学结构的基础上, 综述了近年来木质素高温热解聚, 生物酶解聚, 催化热解聚, 光催化解聚和溶剂热解聚等解聚方法, 深入分析了液相催化过程中酸、碱催化体系, 加氢和氧化催化体系的机理及优缺点, 总结了现阶段木质素解聚方法中存在的问题, 并对未来的发展方向进行了展望。     

Production of high grade fuels and chemicals from catalytic pyrolysis of biomass

The potential offered by biomass and solid wastes for solving some of the world's energy problems is widely recognised. The energy in biomass may be realised either by direct use as in combustion, or by upgrading into a more valuable and usable fuel such as fuel gas, fuel oil, transport fuel or higher value products for the chemical industry. This paper is concerned with conversion and upgrading by pyrolysis and briefly describes the technologies of fast pyrolysis with particular reference to the use of catalysts in chemicals production and the use of catalytic processes in upgrading the primary pyrolysis products to higher quality and higher value fuels and chemicals. There are natural catalysts in biomass which substantially influence the production of high yielding chemicals. Removal or reinforcement of these catalysts has a dramatic effect on product yield and composition. The pyrolysis vapours can be catalytically cracked over zeolites to give aromatics and other hydrocarbon products which can be further converted into gasoline and diesel and the condensed liquid can be hydrotreated to a naphtha like product also for upgrading into transport fuels. There is, however, considerable uncertainty over the ability of the upgrading technology to be scaled up to commercial feasibility most notably in terms of catalyst performance and life. Considerably more research and development is needed to develop and prove suitable catalyst systems. There is also considerable uncertainty over the cost of upgrading in terms of capital costs, operating costs and performance and some preliminary estimates are included.     

Nitrogen and biofuels; an overview of the current state of knowledge

Biofuels are forms of energy (heat, power, transport fuels or chemicals) based on different kinds of biomass. There is much discussion on the availability of different biomass sources for bioenergy application and on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fossil fuels. There is much less discussion on the other effects of biomass such as the acceleration of the nitrogen cycle through increased fertilizer use resulting in losses to the environment and additional emissions of oxidized nitrogen. This paper provides an overview of the state of knowledge on nitrogen and biofuels. Increasing biofuel production touch upon several sustainability issues for which reason sustainability criteria are being developed for biomass use. We propose that these criteria should include the disturbance of the nitrogen cycle for biomass options that require additional fertilizer inputs. Optimization of the nitrogen use efficiency and the development of second generation technologies will help fulfill the sustainability criteria.     

纤维素燃料乙醇生产技术研究进展

纤维素燃料乙醇已成为下一代燃料乙醇的必然发展方向。文章综述了近年来以木质纤维素为原料生产燃料乙醇的关键技术,重点对物理法、化学法、蒸汽爆破法、生物法等木质纤维素原料预处理技术,酸水解、酶水解等水解(糖化)技术,以及直接发酵法、水解发酵两步法、同步水解发酵法等发酵工艺进行了总结,并指出了未来纤维素乙醇的产业化过程中必须解决的关键问题和发展趋势。     

Applications of process synthesis: Moving from conventional chemical processes towards biorefinery processes

Concerns about diminishing petroleum reserves, enhanced worldwide demand for fuels and fluctuations in the global oil market, together with climate change and national security have promoted many initiatives for exploring alternative, non-petroleum based processes. Among these initiatives, biorefinery processes for converting biomass derived carbohydrates into transportation fuels and chemicals are now gaining more and more attention from both academia and industry. Process synthesis, which has played a vital role for the development, design and operation of (petro) chemical processes, can be predicted to play a significant role in the design and commercialization of sustainable and cost-effective biorefinery processes. The main objective of this perspective paper is to elucidate the potential opportunities that biorenewables processing offers to optimal synthesis; challenges and future directions in this field are also concisely discussed. An attempt is made with this perspective to stimulate more and more efforts to optimally synthesize and design biorenewable conversion process to accelerate the commercialization of the biorefinery technology and further reduce the heavily reliance on petroleum-derive fuels.